Vongola Decimo or Ombranera Primo
by blackmagic0203
Summary: Frederico, Timoteo's thought to be dead son, is found alive and rescued by an anonymous group of people. The Vongola Family and her allies are overjoyed. Tsuna finds himself pushed aside as someone more worthy of the title Vongola Decimo has appeared.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is going to be a KHR AU story. I recently read a story that shows Frederico showing up so I wanted to make my own.

AN2: I've fixed a few mistakes in this chapter and added some more details. Hopefully, it's better than the previous version.

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR but I wish I did.

Summary – Frederico, Timoteo's thought to be dead son, is found alive and rescued by an anonymous group of people. The Vongola Family and her allies are overjoyed. Tsuna finds himself pushed aside as someone more worthy of the title Vongola Decimo has appeared.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

A lone man sat chained to the wall in a dark and musty cell. His wrists were raw from the handcuffs and his lips were chapped form dehydration. His once upon a time designer suit no longer looked fit to wear. His right eye was swollen and his body was thin from months of 'mush' for food. His name was Frederico, third candidate to the Vongola Decimo position.

He could still remember the day he was captured. How he cursed himself for letting his guard down like that. If Massimo or Enrico could see him now, they would surely laugh themselves to death. In the underground world, everyone knew that messing with the Vongola was tantamount to suicide. So, how could he have known that the Genovesse would betray the Vongola like that? Hell, even now, he didn't think that the Vongola even knew about the betrayal.

Frederico sighed for the umpteenth time since he was captured. 'How long has it been since they caught me? I wonder if Massimo has become the Decimo yet. At least I know that the Vongola will be in safe hands. Better Enrico or Massimo run it than a bastard child like Xanxus….Or, God forbid, that yellow monkey failure that Iemitsu calls his son!'

His cell door opened and he heard footsteps echo throughout his cell. "Well, well, well. You are looking fine today, young Frederico!" a deep yet slightly creepy voice said.

The prisoner immediately recognized the voice. How could he not? This man had only been here to taunt him every chance he got since his capture. "Can't say the same to you, Gayman. You look terrible! What happen? Did the wife finally find out you bat for the other team?" Frederico spat out with his raspy voice. Even though his throat felt scratchy and his tongue was like sandpaper, Frederico couldn't resist insulting the man.

A tick appeared on the man's face. "For the last time, my name is Carman! Remember already, you Vongola scum!" He screamed as he chose to ignore the second half of Frederico's insult.

The chained man smirked at his success in making his tormenter lose some composer. "That's not much better. What was your mom thinking giving you such a girly name?" Frederico retorted.

Carman's scowl soon turned into a creepy smile which set off alarms in Frederico's head. "Enjoy this while you can because the Boss has no need for you anymore. You're gonna die today."

"You'll never get away with this! My Family will find me and annihilate you guys! The Genovesse Family will be forgotten in history and the only time people will even speak of the name will be with pity! Pity at how you guys were foolish enough to go against the Vongola!" Frederico yelled.

"That would be true only if they're still looking for you. But, to everyone else in the world, Frederico of the Vongola Family has already passed on; died by a fire he accidently started himself. Tragic, I know. Boss even gave his condolences to Vongola Nono at the funeral." Carman said with glee as he watched the young man's face pale. "Well, it has been nice chatting with you, but duty calls."

Carman signaled with his hand and beside him, two men took out handguns and took aim at the prisoner's head. Right before they shot, an explosion was heard. The ground shook and Carman held onto the cell door to steady himself. "What is going on!" he roared into his radio. He waited for some sort of explanation, but all that could be heard was static noises.

Suddenly, chains came out of nowhere and trapped the two subordinates. With a quick jerk, both fell face first onto the stone floor. Carmen cursed and pulled out his hidden gun. He looked around frantically for his enemy and yelled "Who the F*** do you think you are! Attacking the Genovesse like this, you must have a death wish!"

No sound was made. Carman opened his mouth again, hoping to lure his enemy out with taunts and insults. "Come out you bastards! You God forsaken cowards! I'm gonna g-"

Before he could finish, a needle pierced his throat. With a gurgle, he dropped to the floor with a thud. His mouth foamed purple: the obvious sign that he had just been poisoned.

"Boss said not to kill anyone." an unmistakable female voice said.

"I know, but he was so annoying! Besides, Boss also said not to take anything but you still raided their equipment room." another voice responded with an accusation of his own.

"Psh, whatever let's just get this guy outa here." The first voice said as three people stepped out of the shadows. "Still, what kinda base was this? It only took the three of us to bring it down and I did most of the work!" They were all wearing masks so that no one could see their faces. Each one was of an animal design with a certain feral quality added on.

The one with the snake mask answered. "Well, the Genovesse is more business oriented so a low security level is kinda expected." Frederico absentmindedly noted that this voice was different from the one who offed Carmen. That meant that the killer was either the one wearing the Dragon mask or the one with the Cat like mask.

Frederico looked up stunned. If what he heard was correct, these three people who sounded no older than 20, had just singlehandedly taken out a whole base! But, even though they had just saved him from certain death, he was still wary of these unknowns. You could never be too careful in his line of business after all. "What do you guys want? And, why are you saving me?"

"We're just here to help you and the reason is none of your business." Snake said as he started to undo the chains that kept Frederico from his freedom.

Before Frederico could say anything else, he felt a sharp chop to his neck and his world went dark.

"Why'd you knock him out, Hiro?" the first voice asked.

"He woulda asked too many questions. Better we knock him out and make him stay unconscious before he sees too much. We don't want the Vongola knowing about us just yet. Plus, didn't I tell you to call me Snake when we're on missions?" the now identified Snake said.

"I got it, jeez. It's not like anyone's listening." The first voiced said as the group left with Frederico in tow. They went towards the exit and climbed into the helicopter waiting for them. The journey was made in silence as each masked individual pondered about the fate of the man they just rescued. What did their boss want with him?

One hour later, something started to vibrate in Snake's pocket. He pulled out his phone and plugged a headset in to prevent the chopper's noise from interfering with the upcoming conversation. With a slight nod to his companions, he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Snake, is it done?"

"Yes Boss, everything went according to plan. We have secured Vongola Nono's third son and are heading to the designated base as we speak."

"Good job and thank you. I'm glad that I can always count on you. Tell Leopard and Dragon thanks as well."

"There's no need for thanks Boss. We're just doing our jobs. Vongola better be grateful for this."

"Haha. I'm sure they'll be ecstatic! Looks like time's up for now. I have to go; Gokudera-kun is coming upstairs. I'll see you guys later. Ja-"

"Thanks for your hard work Boss."

* * *

-Character Profiles-

**Sawada Tsunayoshi**

Age – 15

Gender – Male

Family – Sawada Nana (mother), Sawada Iemistu (father)

School – Nanimori Middle School

Affiliations – Vongola Family, Ombranera Family

Names – "Dame" Tsuna, Vongola Decimo, Ombranera Primo, Ombranera's Fiery Phoenix

Weapon of Choice – Wire Gloves

Flame Type - Sky

**Kim Sung Ha**

Age – 16

Gender – Male

Family – Kim Cho Hee (sister)

School – None

Affiliations – Ombranera Family

Names – Ombranera's Bloody Wolf

Weapon of Choice - Swords

Flame Type - Storm

**Yang Ju Long**

Age – 16

Gender - Male

Family – None

School – International School of Beijing

Affiliations – Ombranera Family

Names – Ombranera's Mystic Dragon

Weapon of Choice - Needles

Flame Type - Mist

**Emilia Conti**

Age – 15

Gender – Female

Family – Elena Conti (mother), Dianora Conti (sister), Antonio Conti (brother), Benito Conti (brother), Angelo Conti (brother)

School – Bonvolia Boarding School

Affiliations – Ombranera Family

Names – Ice Queen of Bonvolia, Ombranera's Dancing Leopard

Weapon of Choice – Spear, Bo staff

Flame Type - Sun

**Alexandra Gram**

Age – 15

Gender - Female

Family – Dexter Gram (brother)

School – MIT

Affiliations – Ombranera Family

Names – Ombranera's Soothing Swallow

Weapon of Choice – Sais

Flame Type - Rain

**Dexter Gram**

Age – 15

Gender – Male

Family – Alexandra Gram (sister)

School – MIT

Affiliations – Ombranera Family

Names – Ombranera's Rampaging Bull

Weapon of Choice – Fist, Deck of Cards

Flame Type - Lightning

**Yanagi Hiroshi**

Age – 15

Gender – Male

Family – Yanagi Tsume (mother), Yanagi Genosuke (Father), Yanagi Kyoutaro (brother), Yanagi Kyousuke (brother)

School – Nanimori Middle School

Affiliations – Ombranera Family

Names – Ombranera's Iron Snake

Weapon of Choice – Chains

Flame Type - Cloud


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it. Also, there might or might not be romance in this story. If there is, it will be most likely Tsuna/OC. I know having so many OCs is confusing but I still hope you guys like this story. And I would love comments on how to make it better.

AN2: All the talking will be in Japanese unless the words are in bold. Then, they are whatever language (most likely English) I specify.

AN3: The new and hopefully improved version of this chapter. I added some more details like I did to the last chapter.

Disclaimer: Still don't own KHR.

"talking"

'thinking'

* * *

-10 years ago-

5 year old Sawada Tsunayoshi sat in the park crying his little eyes out. His legs were scraped and his arms were bruised. He hunched over to make himself a smaller target to the bullies that surrounded him. Around him laughing stood seven boys who looked about 10 years old.

"Tsuna Tuna smelly Tuna!" they jeered over and over again. It might not have been the best insult, but it seemed to get the job done for these future troublemakers.

"Why are you being so mean to me?" Tsuna asked in between sobs. He had been happily playing on the swings a couple of minutes ago when all of a sudden these boys pushed him off and started teasing him.

"It's cuz you were on our swing!" the leader of the group sneered. "This playground is mine and you have to follow my rules!" The bully raised his arm to punch the timid boy. Tsuna closed his eyes and waited for the pain. When nothing happened, he slowly opened his eyes and gaped at what he saw. There, in front of him, was a girl who looked about 13 years old. She had long black hair with emerald tips. Her eyes were mismatched, with her right one a sparkling sky blue and her left one a fiery crimson red. The most surprising part was that she caught the bully's hand, preventing him from attacking Tsuna.

"Wow. You guys must be so proud of yourselves, attacking a kid like this." the girl sarcastically said.

The group looked taken aback at how a girl could have stopped the punch. After all, everyone knew that girls were weaker than boys, right? "It's none of your business! Why don't you just leave before you get hurt?" one of the boys said.

She visibly twitched with annoyance but stopped herself from doing anything she would regret. "Kids these days have no manners, huh." the girl murmured loud enough so that only Tsuna could hear.

'What do you mean kids these days? Aren't you a kid too?' Tsuna thought.

"Anyways, just cuz I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't fight. You guys are gonna be the ones to get hurt so leave now before I get mad!" she yelled. To emphasize her point, she tightened her grip on the leader's wrist causing him to yelp. Then she forcefully pushed him away and glared at the boys.

Not wanting to deal with the girl, the bullies turned around and ran. But, not before yelling "We'll get you back for this! You're gonna be sorry!"

'Wow, classic bad guy statements. Someone watches too much TV.' she thought before turning around to look at the crying boy she saved. "Hey, don't cry. You know, real men don't cry." she said while trying to comfort the boy.

"What? So I'm not a real boy?" Tsuna said taking what she told him the wrong way. He started crying harder.

The girl sweatdropped and cursed to herself 'Man, I'm really bad at this. Not even married and I'm already reconsidering having kids.' She helped the small boy up and patted the dust off of him. "Why don't you tell Nee-chan what happened?"

"I was just playing on the swings when they came and pushed me off. They said that it was their swing and I can't play on it." Tsuna sniffed out, "Then, they started making fun of my name and pushing me around."

The girl smiled back at him. She didn't know why, but something about this little boy pulled out the protective instincts in her. She wished to give him the protection that no one thought to give her. "Ahh. Don't worry about them anymore okay? Nee-chan will take care of them for you."

"Thanks! But why would you help me?" he asked shyly. No one ever helped him except his mama, not even his papa. Well, that was mostly because the man was never home. Tsuna would only see him a few times a year.

"Because I can that's why! Haha. By the way what's your name, little man?"

He grinned a toothy grin at being called a man. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, 5 years old!" he introduced himself proudly, all thoughts of being told never to give his name to strangers gone.

"Well then Tsu-chan, I'm Misaki. Nice to meet you!" The girl known as Misaki said with a genuine smile, something that she knew she hadn't done in a long time. 'Not after since he came...' Misaki cut the thought before it could conntinue. No point in thinking unpleasant thoughts in a happy moment like this.

"Nice to meet you too, Misaki Nee-chan!"

"Hmm, that's too long. Just call me Misa-nee."

"Mmkay." Tsuna said brightly. With a quieter voice he continued, "Thanks Misa-nee."

* * *

-Present time-

**Sawada House**

Sawada Tsunayoshi was lying comfortably on his bed. His eyes were open and he stared at the ceiling thinking about the phone call he just made. He sighed as he heard a loud explosion coming from downstairs. 'Geez, there's never a moment of quiet anymore. At least I'm used to it now...I would probably be freaked out if a day went by when something didn't blow up or somebody doesn't attack me' he thought somewhat bitterly. You have to admit, that is really depressing.

The door suddenly flew open and a loud "Juudaime, good morning!" was heard. It didn't surprise Tsuna though, since his training had allowed him to sense the bomber before he even finished going up the stairs.

Tsuna turned his head, smiled his usual smile, and greeted the silver haired teen. "Good morning, Gokudera-kun."

"Come on, Juudaime! Everyone is downstairs already. It's almost time to go. Can you believe it? School's almost over." Gokudera mindlessly chatted, barely giving the smaller boy a chance to talk.

Tsuna tuned his self proclaimed "Right hand man" out while he gathered his stuff quickly with apparent ease. 3 minutes later, he left the room with his companion following faithfully behind. All of a sudden he felt a presence coming towards his head and he resisted the urge to follow his reflex. To the trained eye, all that could be seen was a sudden twitch from his arm. It was actually the suppressed beginning to a complex martial art move that would have sent his attacker out the window. He felt a weight slam into his head, pushing him to the ground. A concerned "Juudaime" was yelled and expertly ignored by both of the other people currently there.

"Dame-Tsuna, your reflexes were too slow. It looks like we have to have more training." a babyish voice said.

Tsuna did his trademark "Hiieeeee" and rubbed his head. "What are you doing, Reborn! You could have really hurt me just now!"

"That was the point Dame-Tsuna. No pain no gain. And hurry up, I personally came upstairs to get you." It was a typical answer from the Spartan-like tutor.

'Wow, it's not like I asked you to come upstairs.' Tsuna thought but otherwise complied. He slowly descended down the stairs while Gokudera repeatedly asked if he was hurt. 'He's nice and all, but he's starting to get annoying. But, he is a good friend. Someone who's been by my side through so much.'

The small group walked into the kitchen. Okay, it was more like Tsuna and Gokudera walked with Reborn riding on top of Tsuna's head. 'Maybe I should start charging him a taxiing fare...Naw, don't have a death wish yet.' the teen tought as he moved.

Tsuna sat down and eyed the dinning room, sighing at the destruction that had become common place. Lambo was whining and throwing food and weapons at Reborn. Reborn was expertly ignoring Lambo and deflecting the attacks back at him. I-Pin was trying unsuccessfully to calm Lambo down. Gokudera and Yamamoto were in another argument. And, Bianchi was just randomly throwing her good (poisonous) cooking around the room. Why she's doing that? Tsuna had no idea. How did his mother get everything cleaned without help everyday? He also had no idea. Tsuna privately thought that his mother had a superpower of her own. Maybe not the 'Flames' one he had, but a time or speed one. How else could she clean the house, fix all the broken furniture, shop for food everyday (because whether he liked it or not, everyone went to his house for food), disarm random bombs in the house, take care of Lambo and I-Pin, do the laundry, and cook dinner all before he comes back form school?

It was like magic.

As his mother handed him a lunch bento, she started crying. "I can't believe that my little Tsu-chan is growing up. He's going to high school and making so many friends! I wish your Dad was here to see you now!"

Tsuna frowned for a second at the nickname but recovered fast so that only Reborn saw. "Mom, I'm still in middle school. Graduation isn't until next week. Save this for when I actually graduate. By the way, why isn't Dad coming?" Tsuna asked.

"Sorry Honey, he can't. His job doesn't let him visit that often, you know that. I'm sure he would like nothing better than to come here." she replied looking sad.

Tsua's face turned uncharacteristically grim 'His job right…' "I got it mom. I guess I'll see you later then." Tsuna said with a wave as he left.

"Hey, Dame-Tsuna. Why did you frown just now?" Reborn asked while walking on the wall alongside Tsuna. Gokudera and Yamamoto were ahead of them and in another argument.

'Because Tsu-chan is what Misa-nee used to call me. Mom usually says Tsu-kun or something like that. But I can't tell him that.' he thought. "Because I really wanted Dad to come to graduation." Tsuna said instead. With that thought, the teen couldn't help but resent his father a little. The man had missed out on most of the achievements in Tsuna's life! Sure, it was obvious that there were reasons but Tsuna often wondered if his father would choose the Vongola over the Sawada family if push came to shove. Tsuna knew what his own answer would be, that's for sure.

Reborn frowned and didn't notice that his student was mirroring his face. "Your Dad has an important job. Family is important, but the Familigia is more important. Since you're going to be the Decimo, you should understand that right Dame-Tsuna?"

"Yeah, yeah I got it"

"Only one yeah is enough. Now, why don't we use this time for extra training. Run to school!" Reborn's eyes glowed in sadistic glee as he changed Leon into a green handgun.

Tsuna did another trademark "Hiieeee" and ran off. 'Sadistic little bastard!' he thought as he passed his two friends in front.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

"So, what do we do with this guy?" a voiced previously identified as Leopard asked. The still masked individual was lounging on a chair, inspecting her nails in boredom. She was in a room that reeked of antisceptics with a few other people.

"We patch him up as best as we can and ship him off to a Vongola base." a man wearing a medic suit said as he ran some scans on the unconscious Frederico. He scribbled some words down and continued, "This guy's been through a lot, but I've seen worse. We'll do what we can for him here, though we'll have to keep some of the injuries on so that people won't be suspicious."

The room was silent except for the occasional beeping sound from the equipment. "I still don't know why Boss had us save him. The Vongola might change their mind and make him the Decimo instead of Boss." a man wearing a Dragon mask said.

"We just have to follow his orders. I'm sure Boss has a good reason for this." said the one with a snake mask as he twirled his chains in his right hand.

"Boss is just too nice." one of the other masked individuals in the room said and everyone agreed with that statement.

* * *

**Nanimori Middle School**

Tsuna sat on the roof of the school, thinking with his eyes closed. Thinking about his life thus far and the choices that he made. It was lunch time and he could hear yells of "Tsuna!" "Sawada!" and "Juudaime!" all over campus. He knew the source: his Guardians were looking for him to either eat lunch together in the case of Gokudera and Yamamoto or spar in the case of Ryohei.

A couple of minutes before class had ended, Tsuna had asked to be excused to go to the restroom. He had been on the roof for 6 minutes already before the lunch bell rang. It wasn't that he didn't like spending time with his friends, it's just that he needed some time to think.

He had been plagued with doubt for a while now. What he chose to do would change many things in the future. Whether for good or bad still had to be seen. Did he make the right choice? He couldn't help but think back at what he had asked Reborn 5 months ago.

**-Flashback-**

"Hey Reborn?" Tsuna asked a week after he and his Guardians successfully defeated the Varia. The group had emerged battered and tired, but victorious.

"What is it Dame-Tsuna?" came the usual reply. Tsuna was used to the added moniker to his name by now.

"There were other candidates for the Boss seat right? What happened to them?"

Reborn was silent for a few seconds. "They are indisposed at the moment. Why? Are you still saying you don't want to be Boss? It's your destiny and you can't change that. Besides, a good Boss would already know about their rivals."

"I never wanted to be Boss in the first place! But that's not why I was asking. I'm just curious." Tsuna said.

The hitman stared at his student for a secon before giving in. Knowing this information couldn't hurt after all. "Fine, I'll educate you. Listen well, Dame-Tsuna. The other candidates were Nono's 3 sons: Massimo, Enrico, and Frederico. Massimo was killed in a drive by. Enrico's body was found in a garbage dump with more than a dozen 'holes' in him if you get what I mean.. And, Frederico's house burned down. "

"Eh? Burned down? Was there a body?" Tsuna asked with interest.

"There was a body that was burnt beyond recognition. The teeth were pulled out so we couldn't tell if it was Frederico or not." Reborn replied.

That bothered Tsuna. If there was no concrete evidence, how could they say it was really Frederico? "Then how did you guys know it was really him? It could've been some random person for all you know."

"Nono identified it himself. He gave all 3 of his sons special Vongola heir rings. They have Nono's Flames stored in them so forgeries are not possible." Reborn said as the door opened and Tsuna's friends came in.

Ignoring the spectators for now Tsuna asked his last question. "So, if Frederico were to suddenlly be found alive. If he wasn't dead at all. Would I still be Vongola Decimo?"

Though he didn't show it, Reborn was surprised at this question. "It's not possible for him to be alive. But yes, even if Frederico were to be found alive, you should still be the future Boss. Even though I had my doubts, you passed fair and square. All that's left is the official inheritance ceremony."

"Of course you would still be Juudaime, Juudaime! And, I'll follow you to the death!" Gokudera shouted as the group got closser to Tsuna and Reborn.

"Thanks Gokudera-kun." Tsuna said as he smiled. 'I don't think that Frederico is really dead. Finding him would make grandpa happy so maybe I should ask the guys to look for him. But, I'm glad that I would still become the Decimo even if he is found. That way, my plans can come true; the Ombranera can ally with the Vongola and eventually join the family. Then, I can protect all my friends.'

**-Flashback End-**

Tsuna looked out into the sky. 'Misa-nee, I made the right choice right? Everyone will be happy that Frederico is back. When I become the Vongola Boss, I can unite the 2 families. All these people who stayed by my side. These people who fought by me and laughed by me. I will protect them all.'

The roof door opened and his friends poured in. Tsuna smiled as he watched them take their usual places and do their usual lunchtime antics. He imagined his Ombranera Guardians here with him, mingling with his Vongola Guradians. He sighed in satisfaction, 'What I wouldn't give to have that come true.'

* * *

-Character Profile-

**Honda Misaki**

Age – 20 (deceased)

Gender – female

Family – Honda Kei (step father), Honda Michiru (mother)

School – None

Affiliations – Ombranera Family (Honorary Member)

Names – Ombranera's Guardian Angel

Weapon of Choice – Fists, Bokken


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I think I've been cranking out these stories too fast. Maybe I should slow my pace. I feel that my chapters are kinda short. Should I do fast updates with short chapters or slow updates with longer chapters? What do you guys think? Anyways, reviews and comments are appreciated.

AN2: New version up. If its actually worse than the previous version then...my bad?

Disclaimer: Don't own KHR

* * *

-10 years ago-

"Hey Tsu-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think about friends?" Misaki asked while the duo lounged in the park.

"Friends? I dunno, I've never really had any friends before." Tsuna replied while absentmindedly playing with some sand. His sand castle might not have won any awards, but to a 5 year old like him, it was pretty darn impressive.

The girl smiled sadly at her younger brother figure before brushing some sand off of his head. "Do you wanna know what I think?" Upon seeing the little boy's eager nod, she continued "I think that friends are the most important people a person can have."

"Why?" The boy tilted his head in a manner that made Misaki want to squeal: He was just too cute for his own good sometimes. "Wouldn't it be family? Since your family is always with you and you live with them and stuff."

After a moment of thought, Misaki replied with a hint of bitterness that Tsuna couldn't detect. "Because there are some things only friends can help you with; some things that only friends will understand and your family won't. Friends, well good friends, treat you as an equal. You have no obligations that you have to fulfill or traditions you have to follow like with your family. You can just be you. A family stifles you with their expectations. They put you down when what you do isn't enough and sometimes you just feel so suffocated."

"Uhh, Misa-nee? I don't really understand what you just said." Tsuna admitted seconds later as his forehead crinkled in concentration.

All signs of seriousness were gone from the girl's face when she heard that. She didn't know what made her start her rant but she should've known that the little boy wouldn't have really understood her. "Haha, you'll understand when you're older."

But, Tsuna continued to think about it as he finished his sandcastle. He looked up and beamed as he saw his surrogate sister's smile of approval. Then, a thought hit him. "But Misa-nee, you're my friend right?" Tsuna suddenly asked.

"Yeah, I think of us as friends." she instantly replied, not really sure where this was going.

"But, you let me call you Nee-chan… doesn't that mean that we're family too?"

After another moment of silence Misaki lets out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess it does, doesn't it?"

"So…how does that work then? If you like friends more than family, do you still like me?" He started to tear up at the thought that she wouldn't like him anymore.

Misaki moved to comfort the boy. Patting the boy on the back in a soothing motion, she replied "No, don't worry Tsu-chan. You're different since you're both family and a friend. A two in one, you know? So, you're way better than just family or just a friend. You're my little brother."

"That's right! I'll be the bestest little brother on earth! And, we'll find some more friends to join our family, a family of friends! Maybe a little sister, yeah I've always wanted to be a big brother!" Tsuna excitedly exclaimed.

'A family of friends huh? That wouldn't be so bad. We could all protect eachother and hang out together when we don't want to be home. Who knows, maybe one day this family of ours will become something big.' Misaki smiled fondly as she watch Tsuna speak animatedly about the kinds of people that they would one day call family.

* * *

-Present-

It was graduation day for Nanimori Middle School and everyone was excited. Underclassmen and staff members hurried to set things up perfectly so that they could send off the graduates with flair. Fireworks were prepared and balloons were blown up. Chairs were placed accordingly and the podium was properly set up. The graduating class was one of the biggest in history so the ceremony would take place outside instead of in the gym. One might ask, why go through all this trouble for a middle school graduation? The answer most members of this school would say was: because Hibari Kyouya is graduating.

Hibari "I'll bite you to death!" Kyouya was definitely a man, for all those that called him a boy meet the end of his tonfas, to be feared. As chairman of the school's disciplinary committee, all students feared him. Teachers, although also afraid of him at times, couldn't help but admire his way of getting students to behave. So, the students energetically prepared for the graduation, dreaming of the upcoming years that would be Hibari free. Well, that is until they entered High School.

But that wasn't important right now. Nor was the reason why Hibari Kyouya, someone who clearly should've graduated last year, was still at the school important. So, enough about Hibari, let's take a look at what our main character Sawada Tsunayoshi is up to.

Tsuna woke up today feeling great. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and today would mark the end of his middle school career. Nothing could ruin this day for him, not even the usual morning chaos.

The ceremony would begin at 1 in the afternoon so he had plenty of time. But, instead of sleeping in like he planned last night, Tsuna promptly woke at 6 AM. He sighed as he silently cursed his body. Reborn had been giving him morning workouts for a while and his body automatically woke itself up. It was probably a defense mechanism created so that he wouldn't have to face Reborn's scary wake up methods.

As Tsuna made way around his room doing his morning routine, he heard an excited yell from downstairs. Fearing the worst, he ran towards the front door and was greeted by his mother frantically hugging his father. "Honey! You came home for Tsu-kun's graduation! He'll be so happy! But, I thought that you couldn't get time off of work?" an excited Nana rushed out.

"Arggh, Nana-chan, too tight… can't breathe." Iemitsu choked out as his wife hugged him to death. After being freed he responded "My boss said that you only graduate form middle school once, so I should come back! Isn't that great?"

Nana's eyes sparkled as she pecked her husband on the cheek. "That's wonderful, Honey! I'll have to bake some more cookies for your boss!"

Tsuna couldn't help but feel that what his dad said was a lie. Maybe, it was due to his Hyper Intuition or something like that. But, he knew that there must be another reason for his dad's visit, probably something Vongola related. What was he thinking? It was definitely something Vongola related. 'Now that I think about it, Frederico should have been sent back to the Vongola by now. Maybe dad came here to tell us? Nah, they could have just called to tell us the news.' Tsuna thought.

Tsuna politely coughed to interrupt the love fest that was happening right in front of him. It didn't matter what age you were, children never want to see their parents be all lovey dovey in front of them.

"Hey Tsuna!" Iemitsu shouted. "I can't believe that you're already graduating!" he said as he walked towards his son. The man gave his son a hearty pat on the back before loudly exclaiming that he was hungry and started to walk to the kitchen. "Meet me in your room in an hour, we have to talk." the CEDEF leader softly said as he passed Tsuna.

* * *

"I'll be blunt and say this; you and your guardians have a mission directly from Nono." Tsuna's dad said later in his room. It was still hours away until graduation, so there was plenty of time for details.

"Huh? What are you talking about, dad?" A mission? On his graduation day? 'That's kind of messed up!' Tsuna thought as he sat down on his bed while his dad took the only chair in the room.

"Nono's son Frederico was found 2 days ago. He was in a coma and just woke up last night. Months ago, there was a fire at his house and a Family kidnapped him. They faked his death and kept him prisoner all this time." Iemitsu said gravely. "As you can imagine, the Boss wasn't happy when he learned that an ally Family of all people took his son from him."

"So, grandpa wants us to do what? Find out which Family it was?" Tsuna asked. Nono had insisted many years ago when he came to Nanimori for a visit for Tsuna to call him grandpa. Tsuna could think of many reasons, both bad and good, for that but they didn't matter all that much now.

"No, we already know who it was. Frederico provided us with enough information. Tsuna, he wants you guys to completely destroy the Genovesse Family. Traitors are not tolerated at all."

"Destroy as in kill?" when Tsuna received a nod from his father he continued, "Why can't they send the Varia to do this? I don't think that we're ready for something like that yet!" Not to mention this was their graduation day! A day of happiness that shouldn't be ruined.

The external advisor got a dark look on his face, "It has to be you! You're going to be the next Boss and you have to show the Families what happens if you mess with the Vongola. As the next generation leaders, it is your job, your duty to do this! No one should oppose the Vongola!" he said passionately. "Tsuna, you are already part of our world. Sooner or later you and your guardians will have to kill. What better way to start than to deal with these betrayers?" Iemitsu said softy.

"But still, isn't it better to just capture them instead? How do we even know it's the right family?" It was a good question. Even though he knew that the intel was right since it was the Ombranera who saved Frederico, he wanted to know if the Vongola had proof and didn't just blame a random Family.

"Yes, we do. Frederico, that resilient idiot, broke out of captivity all by himself. He managed to stumbled his way to one of our safehouses and alert us. He was out like a light when we reached him. When he woke up, he told us all about what happened. Those bastards starved and beat him. They were about to kill him before he managed to escape. Took out one of their bases, he did. What a man. I'm glad we have people like him in this Family." His father said with pride, as if it were his own son who did those feats.

Tsuna was confused to say the least because he knew that most, if not all, of the things Frederico said didn't happen. Hell, the only part that could have been the truth was the part where he was unconscious. 'Why did grandpa's son lie like that? Maybe he was hallucinating?"

"So, when do we leave for the mission?" Tsuna asked. If both his father and Nono felt this strongly about it, then he should consider it.

"As soon as the graduation ceremony is over. That's actually why I'm here. The CEDEF will provide transportation. It's the least I can do for Frederico. After all, I did watch him grow up and it pains me to see him in that state." His father replied. After seeing some hesitation on his son's face he continued "Maybe I'll ask Nono if he could change the orders a little. Maybe you guys won't have to kill everyone. This is your first kill, better not overdo anything."

Iesmitsu stood up and headed towards the door. "I'll go make the call. For right now, you just relax to prepare yourself."

Tsuna sat on his bed deep in thought. He didn't want to kill anyone and he sure as hell didn't want his friends to kill anyone either. Becoming a murderer at age 15 didn't appeal to him at all. Maybe his grandpa will change his mind and let the Varia go. Xanxus and Squalo love doing things like this. Or at least, let them come as back up. Killing was always a subject he avoided. He knew that sooner or later he would have to kill or order kills. After all, this was the Mafia; disputes will not always be settled by words. If worst comes to worst, he wouldn't let his friends kill anyone yet. He didn't want them to have such a burden.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: So, I hope you guys enjoy. And as always, reviews are appreciated.

AN2: New version is up with minor corrections and changes.

Disclaimer: Don't own KHR

"speaking"

'thinking'

"**English"**

"_**Italian"**_

* * *

-9 years ago-

"Hey Tsu-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever wish that your life was different? That you had a better life?" Misaki asked as they were at the park again. The park had become somewhat of a hangout for the duo ever since they first met.

They were both in the sand pit once again with Tsuna building a sand turtle and Misaki just idly using a stick to draw something.

"Sometimes I do. When the bullies bother me." Tsuna responded.

Misaki frowned. "You mean there's still people bullying you? Who are they? I'll go stop them!"

"You don't have to Misa-nee. I can take care of myself!"

"As expected of my number 1 student!" she said with a grin. Misaki had begun teaching Tsuna self-defense moves. Although she didn't look like it, the 14 year old was very adept at martial arts, having been taught by her biological father before he died.

The girl stood up when she heard someone crying behind the bushes. She motioned for Tsuna to stand up and follow her. As they approached the bushes, they saw a familiar sight. A kid about Tsuna's age was crying on the floor. He was surrounded by older boys who were obviously bullying him.

Before Misaki could do anything, Tsuna jetted out from behind the bushes. He tackled the bully who was about to strike the crying boy and proceeded to attack with everything he had. Everyone watched dumbfounded as Tsuna punched the bully repeatedly. His punches may be weak, but the speed in which he delivered them more than made up for it.

The friends of the boy Tsuna attacked finally gained their wits and pulled both of them apart. They flinched at the semi feral look Tsuna gave them and wisely backed down from the fight. They took their friend and made their way out of the park still a little shocked that a 6 year old could do such damage,

Misaki finally made herself known and said "Tsu-chan! That was amazing! I never knew you could fight like that! Why don't you do that when the bullies attack you?"

Tsuna, who finally calmed down, rubbed that back of his head sheepishly and answered "Because I didn't really want to hurt them. It's just me and I'm pretty much used to it. But, seeing them do that to another kid just got me so mad for some reason."

"Aww, you're too nice for your own good. Next time they bully you, just do what you did now." Misaki tried to convince him.

"Err, I'll try." he said before turning to the kid on the floor who had stopped crying. He pulled out some band-aids that he always kept on hand and helped patch the kid up. "Hey, my name's Tsuna. What's yours?"

"Thanks for introducing me brat." Misaki mumbled as she watched the two children interact.

The boy timidly looked up and said "My name is Hiroshi. Nice to meet you."

"Why were they picking on you?"

"Because of my glasses. They called me a nerd and broke them." Hiroshi picked up his glasses from the floor and winced at their broken state.

Tsuna frowned a little before saying, "You look better without them anyway. Your eyes are so cool. It's no fair, both you and Misa-nee have cool eyes. Mine are boring." And it was true. Hiroshi's green eyes, which were now full of live, were uncommon in the Japanese population.

"Misa-nee?" the boy asked.

"That's me! Tsu-chan didn't bother to introduce me, but hi. I'm Misaki. You can call me Misa-nee like Tsu-chan does." Misaki replied before Tsuna could say anything.

The boy and girl chatted for a few minutes before realizing that Tsuna hadn't uttered a word since Misaki introduced herself. "Whatcha thinking about Tsu-chan?" she asked.

Tsuna turned towards the two of them and said, "Hiroshi! You're not a girl? Why?"

Hiroshi was shocked and somewhat affronted. Who could blame him after being asked a question like that? "What do you mean why? I can't help being born a guy."

Trying to stifle her laugh, Misaki lectured, "Tsu-chan, you're not supposed to behave like that! What are you even talking about?"

Tsuna had a thoughtful face on and replied, "Because I wanted the third member of our family of friends to be a girl. I wanted to be an older brother!"

Misaki descended into a fit of laughter as Tsuna continued, "Oh well, I guess the next one can be a girl. All right! Hiroshi-kun, from now on, you're gonna be apart of our family!"

* * *

-Present time-

Tsuna was still sitting on his bed when Iemitsu came back in. It looked as if he hadn't moved an inch in the 20 minutes it took to make the call. So deep in thought, Tsuna didn't even notice his dad enter the room until he spoke.

"Tsuna, I just finished talking with Nono. I'm sorry, but he will not retract his orders. You and your guardians will be leaving at 7 PM today. Our people will pick you guys up and drive you to the airport. You'll be taking the Vongola Family private jet." Iemitsu said. He tried to lighten to mood by adding, "But hey! You get to ride a PRIVATE JET! Comfy seats, good food, and all the movies that you can watch! I'm so jealous. We only get to ride in helicopters. All of us squished into that tiny thing, it can be unbearable sometimes. You'd think that me being the external advisor gives me private jet rights, but noooooooooo. It's only for the Boss and guardians." he said with a put at the end.

Tsuna sweat dropped at his dad's antics and asked, "Will Reborn be coming with us? How about back up?"

Iemitsu answered with a shake of his head. "No, it will only be you guys. We want to show what the next generation can do without any babying. There will be no back up."

Suddenly, a beeping sound was heard and Iemitsu pulled out a cell phone. He spoke in Italian for a good 5 minutes before shutting the phone and grinning. "That was Nono just now. He has decided to give you some leeway. As long as the Boss of the family, Alberto Genovesse, and advisors are dealt with, the other members only have to be captured. But, these people HAVE to be terminated, no excuses. This is Nono's direct order; you will be the one who kills Alberto after he watches all his advisors die. It doesn't matter who deals with the others as long as they die. Don't let us down Tsuna."

"I got it dad." Tsuna said in a quiet voice. He had much to think about. They spent the next hour hashing out details for the mission: things like who had to go or if there was a time limit.

After all was done, Iemitsu stood up and stretched. "Great! Let's go see what your mama cooked for lunch, I'm still starving! No good food in helicopters, cheapos." his dad said while murmuring the last part.

'The way he's acting, it's as if he just didn't tell his only son that he would have to kill someone' Tsuna thought as he was dragged towards the kitchen.

* * *

The graduation ceremony had just started, but Tsuna's mind was somewhere else. He was trying to think of a way to best protect his guardian's innocence. Or what's left of their innocence after all they have been through. He pictured each and every one of them in his head.

Gokudera-kun, the hot headed but loyal dynamite user. Yamamoto, the ever smiling and naïve swordsman. Ryohei, the loud and ever excited extreme boxer. Hibari, the aloof and dedicated tonfa wielder. Lambo, the always crying and emotional baby of the family. Mukuro, the creepy but useful illusionist. He was just thankful that Chrome didn't have to go since officially, Mukuro was the Mist Guardian. He was just using Chrome as a proxy because of his situation. But now that he was free, she didn't have to do anything too dangerous.

As he watched the student body president stand up to give his speech, Tsuna glanced at each of his guardians that were here. His gaze ended at a boy who had semi spiky black hair. He was taller than Tsuna by a couple of inches. His green eyes, which were closed at the moment, always seemed to glow with the moon. His glasses effectively hid them from unwanted attention. This boy was Yanagi Hiroshi, Ombranera's Iron Snake and the Family's capable Cloud Guardian. As if noticing Tsuna's gaze, Yanagi opened his eyes and looked at Tsuna.

A silent conversation was held between them using their own secret hand signals. These hand signals functioned as their own secret language and everyone in the Ombranera Family knew them.

Deftly, Tsuna conveyed all that happened this morning, knowing that Yanagi would inform the others. With a slight nod, Yanagi looked away to avoid suspicion. After all, not only were Tsuna's Vongola Guaridans here, CEDEF members were also hidden amongst the crowd. Tsuna and Yanagi only had minimal contact during school ever since they started middle school. That changed to almost no contact at all after Gokudera transferred and Reborn came. You can't be too careful after all, especially with the world's greatest hitman as a tutor.

The speech was done, the awards were given, and the names were called. The graduation ceremony was officially over. Tsuna stood off to the side as his guardians slowly made their way to him. They had been told of the mission before the ceremony started. But, Tsuna didn't mention the killing part. Although he thought that Mukuro and maybe Hibari might actually enjoy killing, he didn't want them to. He decided to carry the burden by himself: he would be the only one doing any killing, preferably somewhere where his guardians wouldn't see.

The group as a whole walked towards a limo that was parked close to the school. Lambo was already inside. Although Tsuna didn't agree with taking Lambo, his dad had overruled him, saying that Lambo was born and raised in the Mafia. He was trained for this and had to do this. And, if worst comes to worst, he had the 10-year bazooka for help.

As they were walking, they were observed by a lone student; his bright green eyes that were no longer hidden behind glasses analyzed the group, trying to gouge their strength. He mentally scoffed at what he saw. Besides Hibari, none of them looked strong at all. If these people joined the Ombranera, he was positive that they wouldn't even make it to Squad Captain. Yet here they were, walking next to his Boss as Guardians.

Yanagi walked towards the Vongola group and as he passed them, put his hand on Tsuna's shoulder. The message was clear: be safe. Tsuna nodded his thanks as Gokudera yelled at Yanagi for touching his "Juudaime."

They sat in the limo silently, each thinking about the upcoming mission. Before they reached the airport, a loud ringing sound penetrated the air. Tsuna took out his phone and looked at the caller ID. This definitely wasn't a call that could be ignored. 'Grandpa, what could you possibly want now?" he thought as he answered.

"Hello?"

"Tsuna-kun, there has been a change in plans." Nono's voice came out and if Tsuna had to guess, there was plenty of barely restrained anger in it. 'Great. Just great.'


	5. Chapter 5

AN: New chapter. Hope you guys enjoy. Reviews and comments are appreciated.

AN2: New and revised version. If it's not as good as the original, then I really suck at this.

Disclaimer: Wish I owned KHR. I would be rich.

"talking"

'thinking'

"**english"**

* * *

-9 years ago-

"Hey Tsu-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Who are they?" Misaki asked as she pointed to two people behind Tsuna. They looked about 6 or 7 years old. Both had blond hair. Both had blue eyes. Both were the same height. The only difference was that one had longer hair than the other. For all intents and purposes, the two strangers were twins.

"Oh! She's Alexandra and she's gonna be apart of our family of friends!" Tsuna said excitedly while pointing at the twin with long hair.

Misaki raised an eyebrow and asked, "What about the other one? Isn't he going to join too?"

"Hmm? Oh him, nope! I don't want him, I just want her!" Tsuna explained. It didn't really matter to him that twins practically came in a packaged deal.

Misaki laughed but didn't see the twin with the short hair twitch in annoyance. "Wait, this isn't about the little sister thing again, is it?"

"Yep! I'm not giving up! I will be a big brother!" Tsuna said with fire in his eyes. It seemed that his want for a little sister was so great that he actually asked his mother for one a couple of weeks ago. After hearing about how much trouble having a baby was, Tsuna decided that he would rather have a fully grown little sister to play with. Nana was just glad that he hadn't decided to ask where babies came from. That was definitely a conversation for Iemitsu to give. The twins just stood there looking confused.

"Where did you even find them? They look like foreigners." Misaki took a closer look at the two strangers and couldn't help think of Hitler and his Master Race obsession. 'I wonder if they're German…'

"They were just walking down the street looking like they were lost. So, I brought them here." Tsuna answered as if there was nothing wrong. After all, he was helping them…sort of.

Just then, the two strangers decided to join the conversation. "**Can we go now? I don't even know why you dragged us here but it's boring. C'mon Alex, let's go.**" the boy said irritably.

Misaki stared at them for a minute trying to figure out what was just said. Then she gave up and questioned Tsuna, "Wasn't that English just now? I couldn't even understand half of what they said. Wait a sec, did you drag them here even though you couldn't understand them?" she said incredulously.

The boy looked at Misaki as if she were crazy. "What are you talking about Misa-nee? Of course I understand them. How else would I know her name?"

"So you're telling me that you know English? You're like 6 years old!" Misaki said. 'Stupid brat knows more English than I do!' That was a major blow to her pride. A boy who barely started school knew more of a language she's been studying for years. And, she was pretty sure that students didn't start learning English until the first grade!

"**Hey! Are you just gonna ignore us like that? Is there a point to this, cuz if not we're leaving.**" The boy continued to say in an irritated tone. His eyes twinkled mischievously as he watched the look of confusion of Misaki's face.

Seeing that she wasn't going to get anywhere by not responding, she answered the boy in broken English. "**I Misaki. Nice you meet! Uhh… you name? Take you calling.**" The three kids just stared at her with confused faces. "What? So my English is bad. You guys don't have to look at me as if I was insane. Tsu-chan, you translate for me. Ask them their names so I can call their parents. They must be worried sick!"

Tsuna stared at her incredulously, "I don't know how to speak English! I'm 6!"

"What! Didn't you just say that you understood them? How can you understand them if you can't speak English!" It was Misaki's turn to look incredulous.

Tsuna looked at Misaki as if she were stupid, "Why would I need to know English? They can speak Japanese perfectly fine." Misaki face faulted and turned to the twins. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the boy's face contorting with laughter. "Why didn't you tell me you guys knew Japanese? Why did you even speak in English in the first place?"

"Because it was funny." was the only reply given.

The girl, Alexandra, slapped her brother's shoulder and scolded. "Dex, I told you not to be mean like that. Don't cause trouble like that. What would grandfather say?"

"Tch, like I care what that old geezer has to say." The boy's face immediately changed. It was obvious to anyone that he didn't like his grandfather much.

"Don't say that. You know how much he cares about us." Alexandra said.

"But that's just it, Alex! He doesn't! He just wants an obedient heir. Giving us money isn't the same as caring about us! He doesn't even give you a second glance even when you're standing right next to me! That kinda guy isn't our family!" the boy yelled passionately. He didn't understand how his sister could still defend that old geezer after all that's happened.

After a moment of silence, the twins noticed both Tsuna and Misaki watching them. The girl twin smiled and decided to introduce themselves. It was the polite thing to do and she read somewhere that being polite was a big deal in Japan. "Hi, I'm Alexandra Gram and this is my brother, Dexter Gram. You can call us Alex and Dex. Nice to meet you!" she finished with an awkward bow.

Tsuna looked at both of them and beamed. After introducing himself and his surrogate sister, the four descended into a conversation. Apparently, Alexandra and Dexter came to Japan for an electronics expo since the twins loved anything tech related and would be in Japan for about two weeks. They came alone because their grandfather, who was their guardian, didn't approve of their hobby. Rather than waste their time on such distractions, he wanted Dexter to study business so that he could eventually take over the family business.

The conversations were coming to an end when they noticed how late it was. Before they parted ways, Tsuna asked "Hey Alex-chan, you'll be part of our family right?"

"I still don't understand why? Being a part of it sounds fun, but what's the point?" she responded.

Tsuna looked exasperated as he explained yet again. "Cuz I want to be a big brother. Didn't I already explain it?"

"How come I'm not invited? Besides, you don't even know how old we are! We could be older than you!" Dexter shouted, a little put out. He didn't really care about this 'family' thing Tsuna kept spouting, but he hated to be left out, especially when his sister was in something.

"Don't be silly. How can you guys be older when I'm taller?" After all, height equaled age right?

"Don't ignore my first question! And, you're only taller because your hair spikes straight up!"

"Fine then, if you're gonna annoy me so much, you can join too. When is your birthday anyways?"

"January 3rd." they both instantly replied and everyone laughed at the face Tsuna made.

Tsuna put both his hands on his face and mocked screamed in horror. "NOOOO, my search continues! Alright, you guys don't have to join anymore."

Dexter looked shocked for a second, "We can't join cuz we're older? What kind of logic is that?

"Tsuna logic!" he replied. After seeing the blank looks everyone had, Tsuna barked out a laugh. "Just kidding, you guys. Haha, welcome to the family! I can't wait to introduce you to HIro later!" He put an arm around both and dragged them towards the direction of Hiroshi's house.

Misaki watched them all with a happy smile, glad that they became friends. She winced as she moved to follow them. Her stepfather had done a number on her last night and she was still sore. She was just glad that the kids didn't notice.

Unbeknownst to her, Tsuna did notice. It wasn't even the first time he noticed either. He just always kept quiet and never asked about the injuries. His Hyper Intuition was already working at such a young age.

* * *

-Present time-

"What do you mean by a change in plans?" Tsuna asked while lowering the volume of his phone so that the others couldn't hear.

"You see, I just saw Frederico. I've been in France at a meeting between me and another Family for the past few days. When it was reported that my son, my dear Frederico was alive, I wanted to rush to him. But, I couldn't; not without offending the other party. So, I had Iemitsu update me on what's been happening." Nono's voice rang in the teen's ears and Tsuna could make out the sadness in it. But then, as he continued, his voice grewangry, "Never would I have imagined that those beasts could harm my son so. When I arrived to see him, he cried. My son actually cried! He told me of the horrors he faced! How they would burn him, beat him, and starve him only to heal him up so that they could do it over again!"

Nono took a couple of seconds to calm down and continued the rant with pride evident towards the end, "And then, just a couple of days ago, they tortured him 5 days straight for information. But my boy didn't give in, he even managed to escape and pay them back a little."

Now, Tsuna's mind was in turmoil. 5 days ago, Frederico was being healed by Ombranera's top medics. Sure the medics could be a pain sometimes and torture you with shots and medicine, but they would never do the kind of torture that the old man was implying. To top it all off, it was confirmed that Frederico wasn't even awake during his stay at the base. That meant that Frederico was either lying or having a bad dream. Tsuna, being the kind hearted person he was, decided to give him the benefit of a doubt and go with his second theory.

"Are you sure grandpa? Dad showed me some pictures and Frederico-san didn't look like he'd been tortured just days before being found." Tsuna eventually said, trying to get more information.

Tsuna felt his surrounding suddenly chill, as if all warmness had been sucked away. "Are you calling my son a liar?" Timoteo asked, his voice dangerous yet calm.

"No, of course no!" Tsuna reassured him. "I just wanted to know how he healed so fast."

As if by magic, the coldness that permeated the air around him disappeared. "Sorry Tsuna-kun, I guess I'm getting a little emotional." Nono's voice sounded so sincere that Tsuna felt bad for the man.

"It's not your fault! Anyone would be like that if their son was kidnapped and hurt."

"Yes, well. Frederico says that they used the power of the Flames to do it. Apparently, the Genovesse has someone who is capable of using Sun Flames in their Family. But, that is beside the point. Here are your new orders. I want you to make Alberto Genovesse suffer before he dies. Kill his advisors in front of him. Then break every damn bone in his body. Make him beg for death! Let him know what it means to mess with the Vongola! And, when he's begged himself hoarse, kill him."

Tsuna could hear the longing for revenge in the old man's voice. The only thing that Tsuna could do was agree. If he didn't, his Guardians might have to do it in his place and he didn't want that. But torture! Killing he could somehow bring himself to do because it would be quick and painless. To actually make someone suffer before dealing the final blow, Tsuna didn't think he had it in him. But, orders were orders. The burden has to go to someone. He just hoped that his friends would understand what he had to do.

"It will be done, Nono." If the old man had been paying attention, he would have noted the uncharacteristically dark tone that Tsuna had used. But, the aged leader was too focused on his only remaining true son.

The rest of the limo ride was made in silence with the Guardians wondering just what exactly happened during the phone call to make Tsuna seem so down.

Before they boarded the private jet, Tsuna and his Guardians were handed a couple of files. Inside contained information about the Genavesse Family: their numbers, weapons, security, and blueprints. Everything they needed to know to make this mission a success was in the files.

During the ride, they planned. Tsuna had to be careful; he had to make sure that his guardians didn't see what he would have to do. So, he partnered each person and gave them a side to deal with. Hibari and Yamamoto would take one. Mukuro and Ryohei one. Gokudera and Lambo would have the last one. While they took care of the outside, Tsuna would go in by himself and take care of the advisors and the Boss.

Gokudera was the first to protest because didn't want Tsuna to go in by himself. With as much gentleness as he could muster, Tsuna reassured them. "The inside will have less people since you guys will attract all the attention. I'll just have to take care of a few people. Plus, when you guys are done, you can come back me up. But believe in me, okay Gokudera-kun? I can take care of myself."

"Of course you can, Juudaime! Some measly Family like this won't cause you trouble at all. I, your right hand man, will not let you down! Even if I'm paired with this Stupid Cow!" Gokudera shouted.

Thankfully Lambo was asleep so there was no argument.

One by one, the other Guardians agreed to the plan.

"Kufufufufufu, I'll help this once Tsunayoshi-kun. Just take care of your body for when I take it over." Mukuro creepily laughed as his eye began to flash.

"There better be some good fights or I'll bite you to death Herbivore." Hibari grunted as he made his way back to his seat.

"I'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS TO THE EXTREME!" Thankfully, the noise of the jet prevented Ryohei from shattering everyone's eardrums. To better prepare himself, the teen went to the end of the plane and began to shadow spar, hoping that whoever his opponents were would give him a good match.

"This will be interesting, huh Tsuna?" Yamamoto laughed as he slung his arm around Tsuna's shoulders.

And, as predicted Gokudera yelled, "Stop touching Juudaime, you baseball freak! Don't worry Juudaime, we will successfully complete this mission that Nono gave us and show them how strong we are!"

Tsuna could only laugh at his antics and hope that nothing would change after this mission was over. But, deep down, his gut told him that his hope would be for naught.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: New chapter, hope you guys like it. And about the Hyper Intuition thing. The way I see it is that Nono's Hyper Intuition isn't as strong as Tsuna's because Tsuna is a direct descendent from Primo. Also, with the fact that he is still injured from when Xanxus used him and his emotional state from seeing his son added together, Nono's Hyper Intuition wasn't working at its best.

Comments and reviews are appreciated as always.

AN2: New and improved version, hopefully this is…. Was that Yoda-like?

Disclaimer: don't own KHR

"speaking"

'thinking'

**"english"**

* * *

-8 years ago-

"Hey Tsu-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"What does your dad do?" Misaki asked as she and Hiroshi played on the swings.

Tsuna, who was building yet another sandcastle looked up and answered "Mom says he works for some sort of construction company that makes him travel around the world. He only comes home once or twice a year."

Misaki and Hiroshi shared a worried glance. "I don't think I've ever heard of a construction company that works like that." There were probably plenty of other reasons the boy's dad was never home and none of them were good. How was she going to break it to him? "Do you think that maybe your dad is trying to keep a secret?"

Tsuna paused for a moment to think before he continued making the moat for his castle. "Yeah, he works for the Mafia. Some important position called CIDER or DEFACE or something like that." Or, at least that was what he thought it was called. The boy was barely learning his alphabets when he first accidentally saw some files on his father's desk years ago. So into his work, Tsuna never noticed the incredulous looks he was receiving.

"You know, when I said secret, I meant something like he has another family somewhere else or he lost his job and goes gambling all the time!"

"How do you even know he works for the Mafia?" Hiroshi who was quiet so far asked.

"Well, it's not like he was doing such a good job of hiding it. His subordinates visit our house sometimes when he's at home, he answers work related phone calls in front of me, he leaves papers all over the house, and I'm pretty sure that his Boss came to our house last year. He told me to call him grandpa." Tsuna responded in an even tone, as if what he was saying was everyday facts and not important.

"Tsuna? Do you know what the Mafia does?" Hiroshi asked when he noticed Tsuna's reaction wasn't normal.

Tsuna's face turned affronted as if to say 'Of course I know what it is' before he answered. "Aren't they a toy company? I don't know why dad doesn't just come out and say he works for a toy company. He could get me all the new toys for free or something!"

Misaki resisted the urge to face palm and took a deep breath instead. "Tsu-chan…. the Mafia isn't a toy company. It's more like a, uh how do I say this." She didn't want Tsuna to panic when she told him what the Mafia really was. "They're a group of people who get together and do whatever they want. There's a leader that everyone listens to and they refer to each other as Family. I think they're mostly Italian or something like that."

"So, they're just like us right? We have a group of people who we call Family: You, me, Hiro, Lia, Alex, and Dex! And, you're like the leader. Does that mean we're the Mafia? So cool! I can be just like my dad! But, we're not from Italy so it might not work. Oh wait, Lia comes from Italy!" Tsuna exclaimed, not really getting what Misaki was trying to explain.

Both his friends sweat dropped and let him continue his rant about getting more Family members. They weren't going to ruin his fun and tell him that his dad was a criminal. Maybe when he's older, but not now.

And then, they both paused. "Wait a minute. Who's Lia? I don't remember meeting someone with that name." Misaki asked.

"Huh? I didn't tell you guys? I met her last week." Tsuna said and when he didn't elaborate Misaki whacked him on the head and yelled. "Don't just stop there! Tell us how you met her and what she's like!"

"Owww. You didn't have to hit me Misa-nee. Jeez, girls and their tempers" he muttered before explaining about the meeting.

**-Flashback-**

Tsuna was coming home from a tiring day of school. As he reached his house, he noticed that a black car was parked outside. When he went inside, he saw a bunch of people in his living room enjoying snacks. His first thought was that his house was being robbed. But then, he saw someone he hadn't seen for half a year: his dad.

Tsuna couldn't help but think that his dad didn't quite fit in with these people since everyone else was wearing expensive looking suits and his dad just had his regular construction outfit on. He even had his shovel next to him.

The first person who spotted him was actually his dad, who happened to yell out his name. "Tsuna! You're home early! I thought you had school!"

"I did. But school's over now. Anyways, where's mom?" Tsuna replied.

"She has a girl's day out with her friends. And, what do you mean school is out? It's only 1 o'clock! Oh no! You're too young to be skipping school already! Pretty soon, you're going to be smoking and drinking too. What happen to my sweet and innocent Tsuna who used to call me papa?" Iemitsu exclaimed while crying crocodile tears. Yup, that was his dad all right. Always so dramatic.

Tsuna just stared at his dad and sighed. His dad was always like this, trying to get him to call him papa. "Dad, I'm in the first grade. We let out earlier than the other grades."

"Oh, okay then" his dad said as he instantly composed himself. By now, the guests were already staring at his dad like he was an alien. Weird. If they worked with him, they should already know how he acted.

"Hey dad, who are these people?"

"Um, they're construction workers just like your old man! We have to talk business right now. Tsuna, why don't you go outside and play?"

"Play what? Why don't I just go to my room? Playing outside by myself is boring."

"You won't be by yourself. Mr. Conti here has children around your age and they are all outside. Treat them nicely okay?" Iemitsu said as he pushed his son towards the back door, barely giving the boy a chance to protest.

When Tsuna went to his backyard, he saw four other people: two girls and two boys. One of the girls was sitting by herself and the other three children looked like they were in the middle of a game. So, Tsuna walked towards her so he wouldn't get in the way of their game.

"Hey, I'm Tsuna. What's your name?" he greeted the girl with his usual smile. She looked about 7 and was wearing a flowery dress. Her hair was dark red and her eyes were also reddish. She looked like she had been crying.

"Go away!" the red haired girl cried.

Tsuna, being the gentleman Misaki taught him to be, decided to stay and comfort her. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"It's none of your business! Just leave me alone! Go play with them, I know you want to. Everyone always wants to play with them and not me!" the girl turned her head away in a childish fit and cross her arms. Tsuna had to admit, it made her kind of cute. But, he was too young to think any further.

"Them? Nah, their game looks boring. But, why aren't you playing with them?" Tsuna replied while watching the other three kids play.

"They don't want me to play with them." she said in a quiet voice.

"Aren't they your siblings? Why won't they play with you?"

"We're only half siblings. I have a different mommy." She explained. Now that Tsuna thought about it, the other three kids did look different. For instance, all their hairs were blond and their eyes were more brown than red.

"Still, half siblings still means you're family. So, they should let you play with them." Tsuna reasoned. After all, his friend from school had five siblings and they all spent time together.

"They never treated me like family." she sniffed, "my mommy went away last year so I had to move in with my daddy. But, my step-mom doesn't really like me so her kids don't like me too. Only daddy plays with me and he tries to spend time equally with all of us so I don't see him that often. Plus, he has work to do."

"That's horrible…. I know! Wanna be apart of my family?" Tsuna asked with hope in his eyes. This was perfect. He could help someone and possible get a little sister all at once!

The girl turned to look at Tsuna and shook her head. The idea was kind of ridiculous, after all. "Your family? I don't think I can. You guys live in Japan and we're from Italy. And, your dad is friends with mine so I think he would feel bad for taking me away from him."

"Hmm? Oh, that's not what I meant. I meant my family of friends! And you won't have to worry about distance cuz I have two friends in America!" Tsuna instantly replied.

"Family of friends? What's that?" she asked. That term sounded kind of familiar. Her daddy once mentioned that the people he worked with were like a family of friends.

So, Tsuna explained his idea to the girl. He told her how they communicate since some of their members were overseas. Alex and Dex were geniuses with technology and managed to make their own communicating device. Since they were rich, they didn't have any problems making extras so that when Tsuna made new friends, they could be introduced to everyone else easily.

"So, I never got your name?" Tsuna said when he finished.

"I'm Emilia Conti. Nice to meet you Tuna!"

Tsuna's eyebrow twitched. "It's Tsuna! Not Tuna! I'll call you Emily."

"E-MI-LI-A not Emily. Emilia sounds much more proper." the red haired girl shot back.

"Then call me Tsuna! Otherwise you're gonna be Emily… or maybe Ems. How about Lia?" Tsuna teased.

"Get it right, Tuna! It's Emilia!" a shouting match started between the two. When the adults came out to call the children in, they saw the two of them laughing and shouting at eachother. Iemitsu quickly apologized for his son's behavior but it was waved off. After all, boys will be boys his guests told him.

Before they left, Tsuna remembered something important. "Hey Emilia! When's your birthday?" he shouted as the guests were walking out.

"February 4th. Why?"

But, Emilia never got an answer because Tsuna was on the floor screaming "WHY?" she just shrugged it off as part of his weirdness.

**-Flahback End-**

After finishing the story, Tsuna bid his friends goodbye as he went home for dinner. Misaki and Hiroshi looked at eachother before sighing.

"Tsuna's new friend has a Mafia family too, huh?" Hiroshi asked.

"Yup."

"Only Tsuna…"

"Yup."

* * *

-Present Time-

**Unknown Location**

"Hiro! You're back! How was the ceremony?" a voice shouted out in excitement as soon as the owner saw the familiar figure.

"Yeah, Yanagi! How does it feel like to be outa middle school? Joining the big boys now, huh?" another one said.

"Where's Boss? Didn't he say that you guys would come together?"

"Yeah. Where is he?"

Yanagi Hiroshi walked into the room still in his graduation outfit. He took off his glasses and threw them on the table. Inside the room were the other Guardians of the Ombranera Primo: Emilia Conti, Dexter and Alexandra Gram, Kim Sung Ha, and Yang Ju Long. The questions stopped as they noticed the mood he was in. He closed his eyes for a second and the minute he reopened them, everyone in the room knew that something was wrong. "Boss can't come today. The Vongola has decided to waste his time again." he said in an even tone, but all who saw him knew that he was not happy.

It wasn't a secret that the Ombraneras didn't approve of their Boss working for the Vongola. They understood Tsuna's dream of uniting the two families. It was his birthright to lead the Vongola, after all. Just because they understood didn't mean they had to like it; he was theirs first. But, as members of the Family, they did the best they could to make his dream come true. He considered his Vongola Guardians as friends and he always protected his friends. In return, they would always protect him. But, they were his true Guardians and if the Vongola did anything to hurt their Boss, there would be hell to pay.

"So, what happened?" a female voice asked. The person that the voice belong to was a stunning girl who had long red hair. She looked about 15 years old and had a retractable Bo staff tied to her waist.

"They sent him and the Guardians on a mission, Emilia." Hiroshi explained. As he went into details about the mission, the other people in the room became more and more confused.

"How is this even possible?" Dexter asked. "Frederico Vongola was in our care. When did we ever torture him?" Not that he didn't want to. Since the teen was in charge of obtaining outside information, he needed to know all there was to know about the major Families out there.

When Tsuna first talked about rescuing Frederico, Dexter took it upon himself to find out everything he could about the man without rousing any suspicion. Compared to Tsuna, the man was an insect. If Tsuna donated money to different orphanages around the world, Frederico rashly spent his on extravagant and useless items. If Tsuna treated all women with respect like any gentleman would, Frederico played around with them and broke their hearts. If Tsuna used his resources to help others, Frederico used his to keep people silent about his crimes. But, all this info, Dexter kept to himself. He wanted Tsuna to form his own opinion of the man after he went through all that trouble saving him. Besides, Frederico might have a change of heart after such a life changing experience.

"I know, I know. What he said were lies. But the question is whether those lies were intentional or not. Let's look at the facts." Hiroshi pressed a few buttons and a screen slowly came down. Everyone listened waited patiently for him to start because when Tsuna was not present, Hiroshi was the de facto leader. "So, what so you guys think?"

"Of course the Vongola scum lied! He's making himself look good so that the higher ups will change their minds and make him the Decimo instead of Boss!" Emilia yelled. A few people in the room nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well, Boss thought that he might have hallucinated. His mind had too many blanks to fill after being knocked out so it made a scenario that seemed plausible and stuck with it. That's why Frederico told such a story." Hiroshi said as he explained Tsuna's theory.

Emilia scoffed and the idea, "Like hell that actually happened!"

"You have to admit, that does sound pretty farfetched." Ju Long added. And with that, theories were thrown back and forth. Hiroshi just sighed again and watched his friends argue. This was going to be a long day. He hoped that Tsuna was doing beter.

* * *

**Genovesse Family, Verona Base**

It only took half as long as it usually took to get from Japan to Italy because of the superior speeds the Vongola private jet could go. The Genovesse Main Base was located in Verona, Italy and it was heavily fortified. As Tsuna and his Guardians stepped off the plane, they were given some equipment; things like a SOS beacon, radio, water, and other essentials that Iemitsu thought they might need.

The plan was simple: there would be three points of distractions so that the enemy would split their forces. Using the explosions that Gokudera would cause as a cover, Tsuna would make his way to the meeting room where the Family's Advisors and Boss were and take care of them. Intel showed that all of them were going to spend the next 3 days discussing the potential of making a new treaty with the Santino Family and how to increase their Family's recruitment rates.

It started off without a hitch. Hibari and Yamamoto were together because Yamamto was the only one that could work with Hibari without getting mad. Together, they took care of the left side. They were the powerhouses and the main distractions. Mukuro and Ryohei worked the front side. Ryohei would use his power to protect the illusionist while he did his thing. Gokudera and Lambo got the right side, which was the farthest from the side where the meeting was being held. There were two reasons for this. The first was that Gokudera's dynamites created great covers and Tsuna needed to use these convers to sneak inside. Since the right side would have the least defense, infiltrating would be easy. The second reason was because Lambo could not be counted on as a real fighter so they needed an easy place to attack.

And with that, the battle started. Tsuna rushed into the Base as soon as the wall exploded. He met little resistance and quickly rushed through the halls. With the map memorized, he easily made his way towards the meeting room in minutes.

He stood in front of the door and took a deep breath. He didn't even bother to admire the finely crafted door in front of him. He didn't have the time. This was it and he had to finish this quick, before everyone else came. With determination burning in his eyes, he gathered the strength necessary to push the bolted door open.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Hope you guys like this. And I'm not sure if my grammer is okay. I love the reviews that you guys are giving me and my new goal is to reach at least 50 by chapter 10. Comments, even bad ones, are appreciated so please review.

AN2: New and improved.

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR

"speaking"

'thinking'

**"english"**

* * *

-7 years ago-

"Hey Tsu-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"You're gonna come watch me this weekend right?" Misaki asked while she was practicing her katas. The 16 year old had joined her high school's martial arts club the minute sign ups started and she had been made a Regular almost immediately. Every new member was required to spar an older member to gauge their skill level and Misaki not only won, she won against a Regular. The captain had cried tears of joy when she saw the potential Misaki showed.

"For the tournament right? Everyone's gonna watch and cheer you on!" Tsuna enthusiastically replied.

"Everyone's gonna come to Japan just to watch me fight in a local tournament?" Misaki asked surprised.

Tsuna turned to Misaki and laughed at her response. "No, of course not! Not everyone's made out of money like Dex and Alex are. They're gonna watch it live on their computers."

The teen rolled her eyes at Tsuna before responding. "Like I said, it's a local tournament. There's no way that they can see it live. They'll have to wait for you to send them some tapes or something like that." She was trying to make the boy realize how unreasonable the idea was.

Tsuna waved it off, "You forget that we have two technical geniuses as friends. The place the competition is held is also used for more famous things so it's rigged with cameras. The twins already hacked into the system and got complete control. When the fights start, they'll turn on the cameras and send a feed to everyone's computer. That way, everyone has access to your fights. We can even zoom using a nearby camera to get a better look!"

Misaki's mouth dropped open as she heard that. She knew the twins were smart, but to do something like this? Was that even legal? "Wow. Your 8 years old and you're already talking like that. I swear, the twins are bad influences on you. You know even more tech talk than I do and I'm taking a computer science class!" Misaki cried. Why did she hang out with all these smart children? It was really making her look bad.

Tsuna laughed at his surrogate sister's antics and said, "So yeah, that's how everyone besides me is gonna watch."

The girl raised her eyebrow, "Don't you mean you and Hiro?"

"Nope, Hiro decided that he wanted to watch it on his computer. Dex made it sounds all cool when he described it to us. Something about HD and good sound quality. It's gonna be like a movie! Man, now I wish I didn't tell you I would go so that I could watch it at home. Why did I even promise you anyway?"

"Brat. You're coming to cheer me on because you love me and I'm awesome." Misaki growled out.

"Yeah, Yeah. Whatever you say." came his cheeky reply.

* * *

**On the day of the tournament**

Tsuna stood outside the competition hall waiting for Misaki. 'She's late! I can't believe she told me to come early! I've been waiting for an hour!' Tsuna mentally ranted. Six minutes later, he finally saw Misaki's form coming towards the door. But something was wrong. As she got closer, Tsuna noticed bruises on her body. His perceptive nature picked up on the slight limp on her right foot when she walked. She was slouched over and there was a giant hand print on her cheek.

Tsuna immediately ran towards her and frantically asked what happened. Misaki just smiled and played it off as a fight that she got into with some thugs who were trying to steal her money. But, Tsuna knew the truth. She was already in her uniform. What kind of thug would specifically go after a girl who had a blackbelt on? Plus, Misaki would never allow a thug close enough for him to actually slap her. No, it wasn't from a thug at all.

The faint cigarette smell that followed her reminded him of the brand that her step-father used. Tsuna narrowed his eyes and thought 'Recently, there have been more and more bruises. Misa-nee always uses thugs as an excuse but really, if I were the thugs and I got beaten up by a teenage girl on an almost daily basis, I would stop attacking said teenage girl.' Tsuna knew better than to point out Misaki's lie. He just nodded and walked her into the competition area.

She wouldn't forfeit even if the captain told her to. Misaki just hated quitting and such minor injuries weren't going to stop her.

As she walked towards her team, Tsuna made his way to the spectator area. He had a call to make.

**Ring Ring Ring **

"Hey Tsuna, what's up?" Dex voice said through the speaker.

"Dex, I need you to do me a favor." Tsuna replied in a serious tone.

Sensing the mood, the normally joking Dexter became serious as well.

"What do you need?"

"It's about Misa-nee. She was over an hour late and she came here with injuries that she claims come from thugs she fought on her way here."

"But you think differently.".

"Yeah, it's been happening more and more frequently. It's gotta be her step-dad."

"So what should I do?".

"Get me all the information you can on him. Every single piece you can get. And when we've found enough, we'll find a way to stop him, even if we have to resort to blackmail. Misa-nee is our Family and we take care of our own."

"On it."

Tsuna didn't know it at the time, but at that moment, he made his first Boss-like order. His sure and commanding tone convinced Dexter to agree. But, he didn't know that that single act he did might have done more harm than good in the long run.

As expected, Misaki easily took first place even with her injuries. Tsuna smiled as he watched her teammates crowd around her to congratulate her, thinking of ways to preserve his surrogate sister's happiness.

* * *

-Present-

The mission was finally over and everyone sat quietly in the private jet. The silence that filled the air wasn't the good kind, where people quietly lounged after a successful but tiring day. No, it was the kind filled with tension and apprehension. It was the kind that broke friendships and made enemies.

Most people, especially the Vongola Nono, would say that it was a success. But to Tsuna, it was an utter failure. Things had been going perfectly fine in the beginning. The only problem was, he underestimated his Guardians' abilities and took too long to finish his job.

Tsuna sat alone at the back of the plane; his Guardians didn't even want to sit next to him. But he couldn't blame them, not after what they saw him do. They didn't talk at all; they just silently sat there and looked at him with eyes of various emotions: sadness, anger, disgust, and the most prominent of them all, disappointment. He thought back to what happened earlier that night.

**-Flashback-**

The meeting rooms of Mafia Bases were usually soundproof. After all, it would not do to have eavesdroppers at secret meetings. But, it so happened that in this particular incident, these soundproof walls would prove to be the Genovesse Family's downfall. Despite the loud screams and explosions happening outside, the Boss sat blissfully unaware as he talked with his advisors, not knowing that his Family members were being disabled one by one by an invading force.

Tsuna put on his stoic game face and powerfully pushed the ornate doors open. His dramatic entrance worked to his advantage and everyone in the room was too surprised to respond accordingly. He quickly scanned the room and his mind already formed a plan of action. With a burst of speed from the Flames of his X-Gloves, Tsuna seemed to disappear and then reappear in front of Alberto Genovesse, the Boss of the Family. He steeled himself for what he was about to do in the next few minutes. Before the Genovesse Boss could even utter a word, one swift and powerful low roundhouse kick bashed into his knee and effectively shattered his right knee cap: enough to cripple the man, but no enough for him to fall unconscious. The man let out a terrifying scream and slumped to the floor.

The scream and the sight of their hurt leader prompted the others in the room into action. Each man pulled out a gun that was hidden somewhere on their bodies. It was clear that they had no formal training by the way they held their weapons.

Unlike Families such as the Vongola and the Shimon, the Genovesse Family did not consist of a Boss along with six Guardians to fight as the main party. Since the Genovesse was mostly a Family that ran on business, none of their members were truly 'Fighters.' Sure, they had their classic cannon fodder members who knew how to use a gun and the few members who could hold their fight with another weapon.

But, they didn't have strong Guardians like the Vongola.

They didn't have specialized fighters that could take out a whole army like the Vongola.

They didn't have technology like the Vongola.

And, they didn't have Flame wielders like the Vongola.

The Flame powers were a guarded secret among the Mafia Families and Tsuna knew instantly that this Family did not know of it by their wide eyes stares of disbelief.

And so, the fight to disable everyone ended almost as quickly as it began. The top echelons of the Genovesse were first and foremost businessmen who had others to do their dirty work for them. And, in a meeting in their own fortified base, there was no need to bring any of these aforementioned bodyguards.

With the power of his Killing Intent alone, he brought these men to the ground. There were seven of them in all, not including the Boss; each shaking in fear and wondering why no one came to help them.

Tsuna checked his watch, a gift from Lia for graduation. '10 minutes since it began. Everyone will be done in about 20 minutes. I have to hurry.'

Tsuna quickly scanned the room and proceeded with his choice of action. He walked towards the man that was sitting the furthest away from the Boss and picked up his discarded gun. His gloves were nice and all but they weren't really effective in killing unless one wanted to burn someone to a crisp and Tsuna wanted to cause as less pain as possible. He looked at his first target and hardened his soul for his first kill. The pleading eyes of his soon to be victim didn't help at all.

When he pointed the gun at the man's head, he almost sneered at what he saw. The safety was on! The man pulled a gun with the safety on and expected it to actually do something? Amateur. His mind briefly thought back to a statement he had heard before, 'The only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed.'

He took a deep breath and exhaled. The room was dead quiet to him.

Alberto, who was busy screaming for the past 5 minutes, finally calmed himself down as much as possible and sent the worse glare he could muster at the intruder. "Do you think you can get away with this? When my men get here, you're gonna wish you were never born!"

Another deep breath.

Alberto continued to yell and fight against his common sense. The man that was about to die had his eyes closed, Perhaps wanting his last moments on Earth to be filled with darkness. Coward.

**BANG**

And an exhale. He had done it.

The advisor dropped dead.

Alberto's face turned a shade of purplish red and Tsuna couldn't tell if it was due to pain or anger. As Tsuna made his way to the next person, the wounded Boss continued to threaten him, "Do you know who you're messing with! Do you know who our allies are?"

**BANG**

The next shot came much easier than the first and the second advisor was gone. The others in the room seemed to have regained some sense and started crawling away from Tsuna as fast as they could. But, they couldn't leave the room because Tsuna had strategically placed himself between them and the door. Oh, how they wished they had listened to Roberto and picked a room with two doors instead of just one as the meeting room.

With emotionless eyes, Tsuna walked to targets three and four who happened to be huddled next to each other shaking, all the while as the Boss continued to shout.

**BANG BANG**

Only three to go, and then the Boss.

Alberto, who had just realized that his men were in fact not coming, tried to pull his final trump card. "The Vongola will never forgive you for this! They'll hunt you down and kill you. But not before taking care of everyone you love first!" The man looked confident that this would stop his attacker.

Tsuna calmly looked at him with his piercing eyes. Even with his Flame not on, his eyes still held the calmness and deadliness that it had when he was in his Hyper Dying Will Mode. His voice cut through the Boss' threats, "You, who dared to betray the Vongola. Do not think that they will come to help you after tasking me with your destruction. After kidnapping Nono's son, what did you think was going to happen?"

The three advisors, seeing that there was no hope left, waited with bated breaths for their end.

**BANG BANG BANG**

In a show of good marksmanship, Tsuna hit all three right in the middle of their foreheads in three consecutive quick shots. Now all that was left was the Boss, who was on the floor still yelling.

As he made his way to Alberto, Tsuna was thinking hard. Was torture really necessary? After all, couldn't he just kill the man and burn the body instead? No one would really know what happened in here and he could just tell everyone he did his job.

But that wouldn't work. Even if Nono had not demanded he video tape a formal apology from the Genovesse Boss after he finished his handiwork, Tsuna could never lie to his grandpa like that; especially not when he was this passionate about something.

So with a heavy heart, Tsuna picked up another nearby gun and shot the man in his other kneecap. The threats, which had turned to bribes, stopped as the man let out another scream. He tossed the gun away. He didn't want the man to die without the apology. Tsuna set the survival bag that he was given down and pulled out the army knife inside and went to work.

When he did everything he could possibly think of without killing the man, he pulled out his cellphone and spoke for the first time in over 20 minutes. "Alberto Genovesse, you have wronged the Vongola Family and this is your punishment. For harming a member of the Boss' blood family, you are sentenced to death; whether you continue to suffer for hours or die swiftly is up to what you do next. Nono expects a full apology right now. You have a minute to decide whether or not you will give it."

Alberto's voice had long passed yelling and was now only a faint whimper, but the words he said was recognizable "Yes, dear God I'll apologize. Just let me rest soon."

With that, Tsuna turned on his phone's video camera mode and started taping. When it was done, he picked the gun back up. He was about to shoot when he heard voices behind him.

"Juudaime! I have come to aid you!" came Gokudera's unmistakable voice.

The three groups had joined up after they each completed their section of the plan and headed towards the meeting room to help Tsuna like they said they would when they finished. Lambo, who had gone all out after using his 10 year bazooka no less than 3 times, was safely asleep in the private jet.

The sight that greeted them was not a pretty sight. They surveyed the room and took notice of the dead bodies. But what shocked them the most was the one that was still alive muttering "kill me" over and over again. Even the hardened criminal Mukuro gasped.

Tsuna couldn't bear to turn around. With his friends there, his resolve faltered a little. He couldn't kill in front of them, could he? But, when he saw the look in Alberto's eyes, he knew he had to end his suffering. With a final shot, the Genovesse Family was officially no more.

Tsuna turned around to face his Guardians and hardened his eyes. As a Boss, he couldn't afford to look weak in a time like this. Their eyes all showed ranging emotions. But what happened next almost broke him completely.

"That just wasn't right Tsuna." Yamamoto said, his usual smile completely gone. He turned and walked away.

"Sawada. Why would you do something like this? This was too extreme." Ryohei said without his usual loudness as he followed the Rain Guardian out.

Mukuro gave Tsuna a pointed stare and used his illusions to phase out.

Hibari shook his head and left as well, leaving Tsuna alone with Gokudera.

"Juudaime. Why? Didn't you say that you hated killing? Weren't you going to change the Mafia world?" he asked with hurt all over his face. Gokudera wanted to run out like the others, but he still had a small sense of duty and stayed with his future Boss; even if he had started to doubt him.

The two made their way back to the jet in silence. Tsuna had to explain it to them. He had to tell them about the orders. He would wait until they were in the sky and his Guardians had no choice but to listen to him.

**-Flashback ends-**

"Everyone, I have to talk to you about the mission," Tsuna said.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Next chapter hope you guys enjoy it. Would love any comments and reviews to help make it better.

AN2: New and improved.

Disclaimer: Don't own KHR

"speaking"

'thinking'

**"english"**

* * *

-7 years ago-

"Hey Tsu-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"You see that boy over there?" Misaki asked as she and Tsuna walked around looking at the different shops. It was one of the few times when they had met and not gone to the park. today, there was going to be a special sale at the martial arts equipment shop and Misaki wanted to go buy some new gear for both her and her surrogate brother.

The 8 year old swiveled his head in the direction that she was pointing and spotted someone. "The one holding the bokuto and buying flowers?" he asked, "What about him?"

"He goes to the same dojo that I go to. But it's really weird seeing him like that."

"Why?" Tsuna questioned. After all, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the boy.

"Cuz with the way he acts in class, you would never think that he would buy flowers for anyone. Do you think he has a crush on someone?" Misaki wondered.

"Why don't we go ask? Then you can introduce me to him. He seems kinda lonely. Maybe we can be friends." Tsuna said as he dragged his surrogate sister towards the boy in question. He had short black hair and red eyes that were more blood red in contrast with Emilia's ruby red ones. As the duo got closer, said boy looked up and a scowl formed on his face as he recognized Misaki.

"What do you want, Honda?" the boy growled out.

"That's Honda-san, kid. I'm older than you." Misaki bit out. She didn't really hate the kid like some of the other members of her dojo did, but he could really use a lesson in manners.

"Tch, whatever. What do you want, Honda-san?" he said again while stressing the -san part.

Misaki twitched. What a cheeky little brat. He wasn't cute like her Tsu-chan. Nope, not cute at all. "Nothing, just wondering why you're buying flowers. You don't look like the flower buying type. You're not going on a date tonight are you?"

"What the flowers are for is none of your business." Just as he was saying this, the florist came back towards them and handed him a receipt.

"You're flowers will be sent to the hospital later today like you wanted. To room 309, right?" the florist confirmed.

"Yeah. Thanks." The boy said before walking back towards the street. It didn't take long for him to notice that he had apparently gained two shadows. "Why are you guys following me? Don't you have better things to do?" he finally snapped after 5 minutes of walking.

Tsuna, who had only observed up until now decided to speak, "Hey, were those flowers for your sister?"

The boy froze and glared at the duo "How did you know that?"

"Well, I noticed your name on the receipt you got back and compared it to the card that was with the flowers. Kim Sung Ha is your name right? And the card was made out to a Kim Cho Hee. Cho Hee is a girl's name and I read somewhere that when Korean women get married, they don't change their last name. So, I figured that it had to be for your sister. That or your paternal aunt, but sister just seemed to fit more." came Tsuna's lengthy reply.

Misaki gawped at Tsuna's answer. She knew that he had always been an observant child, but to get so much information with just a greeting card? That was pretty impressive.

"You're pretty smart aren't you?" Sung Ha let out an impressed whistle, "You know my name but I don't know yours."

Tsuna blushed at his forgetfulness and quickly introduced himself. "Oh! My bad. My name's Sawada Tsunayoshi but you can call me Tsuna. Can I call you Sung Ha?"

"Sure kid. You impressed me so I'll let you."

Misaki smiled as she watched Tsuna make another friend. His powers of making people like him never ceased to amaze her. "So, is your sister okay" she asked as she joined the conversation.

Sung Ha paused for a moment. He was beginning to warm up to these two and for some reason, he decided to tell them his problem. "Not really. The doctors say she needs surgery soon, but I don't have enough money to pay for it."

"What about your parents? I'm sure that they can take out a loan or something." Tsuna asked.

Sung Ha scowled again. "My parents are divorced. My mom is back in Korea with her new boyfriend. Dad transferred to Japan but lost his job soon after. Then, our stupid mom, who was supposed to receive custody of us, decided not to when she found out that my sister was sick. Now, all dad does is get drunk every day. He probably doesn't even know that Cho Hee is sick!"

Tsuna frowned as he listened to Sung Ha talk. He looked at Misaki and noted that she was also sporting a frown. Obviously, she wanted to help him just as much as Tsuna did. Now, all he had to do was figure out how to help.

"How much is the surgery?" Tsuna asked.

"More than I would like. Why?" Sung Ha responded.

"I have some money. Maybe you could use it."

Sung Ha smiled a little at how nice the boy was to someone who was almost a complete stranger. There was no way the kid would have enough money, but still, it felt nice to have someone who cared. "I appreciate the thought, but there is no way that you have enough money. It's almost 1,500,000 yen! Plus, I may be poor, but I don't take charity." came the answer to Tsuna's statement.

"So that's like what 20,000 American dollars right Misa-nee?" Tsuna asked the girl, who was already using her cell phone to convert the amount to double check. After seeing her nod, he pulled out his communicator that Alexandra and Dexter sent him and called them. Sung Ha watched in silence as Tsuna proceeded to speak with the twins.

**"Hey Tsuna, what's up?" **Dex's voice came through loud and clear.

"Hey Dex, I have a question." Tsuna replied back in Japanese so that Sung Ha would understand.

"Okay, shoot. What is it?"

"I wanna know how much money I've made with the stocks that you helped me buy."

"All together?"

"Yeah. Just tell me if it's over 20,000 dollars or not."

"Psh, of course it's over 20,000 dollars. Hell! Just your APPL stocks are way over that amount. You're a lucky dude, you know that? All the companies that you pick miraculously end up hitting it big!"

"That's good. Now, look up a patient for me at Nanimori General Hospital."

"Okay, give me a sec while I pull up the system... Alright, name?"

"Kim Cho Hee, room 309. She's supposed to need surgery. Transfer the money to the hospital and make sure she gets it."

"No problem dude….Done! Anyways, do you know this girl?"

"Not personally, but she's the sister of a friend."

"Oh, well cool. By the way, when are you gonna visit me and Alex?"

"Soon, maybe during winter break. I'll tell my parents that I'll be staying at a friend's house. Then Hiro and Misa-nee can come too!"

"Alright, call us with the details later. I gotta go, the stupid old geezer is looking for me again."

"Okay, thanks again. Ja-"

Sung Ha could only stare at Tsuna. He couldn't believe what he just heard. "This isn't a joke right? Did I just hear you give me 20,000 dollars?"

Tsuna gave the boy an incredulous stare, "Don't be silly, I gave the hospital 20,000 dollars for the surgery." Tsuna replied.

"Why? I don't even know you. Why help me?" Sung Ha could only shake his head in disbelief.

"I hate doing nothing when someone needs help. Especially when I can give the help that is needed." Tsuna said after a moment of thought.

"But, I can't accept this. I don't take charity." Sung Ha said half-reluctantly. He wanted the money so bad, but he didn't know if he could compromise his pride for this. For his little sister? Maybe a small blow to his pride was worth it.

"Well, there is something you could do…" Tsuna trailed off, "Be my eternal slave forever! MWAHAHAHAHA!"

Misaki whacked him on the head and yelled, "Be serious!"

Tsuna rubbed his head and stuck out his tongue. "Spoil my fun, why don't you." he turned to Sung Ha and laughed, "I'm just kidding. Just join our family and all will be good."

"Huh?" came the intelligent reply.

"Join our family of friends. Family takes care of eachother so it'll be no problem for us to help you out." Tsuna explained.

"All right….. I'll do it. Thanks, Tsuna. Honda...you didn't really do anything, but thanks anyways." Sung Ha responded.

"Call me Misa-nee, everyone else in our little family does anyway. And respect your elders brat!"

"Psh, why would I wanna do that? Why don't I just call you old hag? You're old enough anyways" Sung Ha retorted with a smile on his face. Before Misaki could respond, he turned back to Tsuna and asked, "Tell me more about this family of friends."

* * *

-Present-

**Vongola Family Private Jet**

"Everyone, I have to talk to you about the mission," Tsuna said

No one made a move to show that they acknowledged that he had spoken and it hurt, but he didn't let it show. No weakness, at least not right now.

He cared about them. He didn't used to though. At first, he resented the fact that due to some force out of his control, he had been named the Vongola Decimo. He tried his best to not get attached to his new Guardians while quietly waiting for the day that his father or his grandpa would find out about the Ombranera and his part in the Family. But, they never found out. Maybe it was because they never thought that someone like 'Dame' Tsuna could have started his own Family. Maybe it was because he was too good at hiding his other life. But the fact was that the Vongola never found out about the Ombranera.

He had succeeded in not getting too close to his Guardians. Then, the Varia incident happened and it all started to change. He started to care about his new friends as much as he cared about his old friends. They had fought by him and almost died for him. Hell! They were even poisoned at one point. That was when he made it his goal to unite the two Families: the one that was his birthright and the one that he created. After all the things they have been through, a bond had formed between them. And now, Tsuna could tell that that bond was starting to break.

"Look guys. I know that what you guys saw back there was not the best sight to see." Tsuna began, "But, there was a reason I did what I did. I just want you guys to understand that."

"What was the reason. Tsuna?" Yamamoto said after seeing that no one else was going to ask. "What could possible make what you did okay?"

"All I can say is that it has to do with Frederico." Tsuna replied. He couldn't give out too much information. Nono had asked him to keep Frederico's presence a secret even from his Guardians. He didn't want to risk his son getting hurt again, especially not while he was still recovering. Tsuna had readily agreed with the old man. Besides, he was used to not having to explain himself to others. His Ombranera Guardians never questioned what he did, even when his actions seemed weird at the time. They have been through a lot together and they trusted him. Now Tsuna hoped that his present Guardians trusted him enough to understand.

"Frederico as in Nono's son?" Gokudera asked, "I thought he was dead?"

"Yes, he is grandpa's son. And no, he isn't dead. He was found alive but hurt a few days ago. The people who hurt him were part of the Genovesse Family."

"You mean the Family we just destroyed? Why didn't you tell us, Juudaime? Didn't you trust us with this information?" Gokudera asked looking hurt. There was the big word. Trust. If Tsuna didn't play this right, he would lose all of their trust soon.

"I wanted to, but I wasn't allowed to tell anybody until the official announcement came out."

"But still, what does that have to do with what you did? You didn't have to kill those people!" Ryohei bit out. It seemed that out of all the Guardians, Ryohei had taken this the hardest. Yamamoto was right behind him and only doing slightly better because of the mental training he had to do to learn his sword style. That and his father had confessed that he had once been a part of the Japanese Yakuza at a young age.

Tsuna didn't know what to say next. He wanted to tell them that he was ordered to do it. But, doing so would make them resent his grandfather figure. Despite everything, Nono was still the Boss. He didn't want his Guardians to think too badly of the old man. Especially not when said old man had the power to crush them with his little pinky.

And, in his heart, Tsuna knew that this moment would be a final test to these people: to see if they were really worthy of being his Guardians. Will they question their Boss or will they understand that there are some things that a Boss just has to do and shouldn't be questioned on. The Mafia appreciated free thinkers because they are the ones who helped the Families advance. What the Mafia didn't appreciate were people who didn't have trust in their Bosses and their Bosses' decisions. That would eventually lead to betrayal.

So, this was a test.

"I had to do it. I want to say more, but when it comes down to the facts, I just had to do it. I hope you guys understand." Tsuna responded, his heart silently pleading for them to understand. He mind screamed for one of them to accept because if one accepted, the others would probably follow.

One spoke up, but not in the way that Tsuna had hoped. "Well I don't. I really don't get why you had to. The Tsuna I knew wouldn't have done it. I think you've changed" Yamamoto said and walked away, which prompted the others to return to what they were doing before thereby ending the conversation.

'Did you really know me Yamamoto? Did any of you really know me? I think all of you only knew 'Dame' Tsuna and not the real me.' Tsuna thought as he stared out the window. He pulled out his second cellphone and started to tell text Hiroshi and the others that the mission was now over.

Can someone say 'test failed?'

* * *

**Ombranera Nanimori Base**

"Was that the Boss just now, Hiro?" Sung Ha asked after he noticed Hiroshi check his cellphone.

Yanagi finished texting and put his phone back on the table. "Yeah, he told me that the mission just ended. He also said that something bad happened and that he would tell us later when we meet up."

"Will he have time to meet up with us?" Dexter asked. After Reborn arrived in Nanimori, Tsuna appeared in less and less meetings. It was hard to sneak out and meet up with them when there's a paranoid hitman in his house. It hadn't mattered that much since they always informed him about the meetings with their communicators.

"Yes, apparently Reborn went to Italy to visit Vongola Nono. So, Boss can easily sneak away tonight." Hiroshi replied.

"I just hope that nothing bad happened to him. He's not hurt is he?" Alexandra asked with concern.

"I don't think he's hurt physically. But, mentally I don't know. Who knows what the Vongola made him do this time." Hiroshi said, his tone solemn.

What had they made their Boss do? Even through texting, he could feel the sadness from Tsuna.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: New chapter. Sorry it took so long, but I had some Christmas shopping to do. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy. Comments and Reviews are appreciated. And, my goal of having 50 reviews by chapter 10 is so close to coming true. Thanks for the reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR

"speaking"

'thinking'

* * *

-5 years ago-

"Hey Tsu-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"You heard what the doctor said, didn't you?" Misaki asked as she laid on the hospital bed. The top of her head was wrapped in bandages and blood could be seen leaking through at some parts. Her neck was in a brace and she could barely move.

"You'll get better! I know you will!" Tsuna yelled in denial.

"You know I won't Tsu-chan. I'll never be able to walk again. I'll never be able to run, to spar, to do anything." the girl softly said.

Tsuna began to cry, "But it's not fair! Why did he do that to you? Isn't family supposed to protect eachother?"

"That's just the way he is, Tsu-chan. There's nothing we can do about it."

"But you don't understand Misa-nee! It's all my fault! If only I acted sooner! Dex and Alex already found so much incriminating things on him. I coulda sent them to the police earlier! If I did, then you wouldn't be like this1" Tsuna half yelled half cried.

And I'm pretty sure that if you did, the bastard would have still shoved my down the stairs just to spite me or make me slow the police down. Look, it's not your fault okay? Look on the bright side; at least he's going to jail now." Misaki said as Tsuna started to calm down.

"How can you be so happy? Your life just got ruined!"

"I can be happy because I have such a caring family. Even if my biological family doesn't care about me, you guys do. You cared enough to find evidence to but my step bastard in jail." she replied.

"A lot of good that did. You still got hurt." the boy replied. He didn't want to see his big sister, his hero, in this condition.

"It's not so bad you know? Now that I think about it. I get to skip school for a while. I get good service here in the hospital. And, you guys have to push me around because I don't need to walk." Seeing tears about to come down on Tsuna's face again she continued, "Look, if anyone should me sad it's me and I'm not crying see? So you don't have the right to cry. Remember? Real men don't cry."

"I've decided Misa-nee, I'm gonna find a way to make you better! Just wait for me okay?" Tsuna said in a determined voice before running out of the hospital room.

As soon as the boy was gone, Misaki let loose her own tears. She acted tough in front of the kid to make him feel better, but that didn't mean that she was really okay.

Tsuna rushed home so that he could call everyone else. Not everyone knew about the accident yet. As he closed his front door, he heard his mom call out.

"Tsu-kun? Is that you? You're home early today." his mom said as she busied herself in the kitchen.

"Yeah mom, my friend was sick. I'm going into my room now okay?"

"Alright dear, just don't forget. Your dad is coming home tonight so we'll be eating dinner together." she called out as he ran upstairs to his room.

He took out his communicator and quickly made his calls. When everyone was ready, he filled them in on what happened.

"Hey guys, now that everyone is ready let's start. Hiro and Sung Ha already know this but…" Tsuna started only to pause to collect himself.

"Spit it out man, what happened to make you look so pale?" Dex's unmistakable voice asked. Dexter and Alexandra's communicator devices allowed the holders to look at eachother face to face if wanted; kind of like an online video chat.

"Yeah guys, what's wrong?" Emilia asked confused.

Seeing as Tsuna wasn't going to say anything, Hiro decided to fill everyone in. "Misa-nee had an accident guys."

"It wasn't an accident! It was attempted murder! Don't play it down like that!" Tsuna yelled.

"Murder? What the hell happened!" Alexandra's normally calm voice demanded.

"It was that bastard Honda Kei!" Sung Ha yelled, "Asshole shoved her down the stairs! Son of a Bitch had the gall to tell the police that she was drunk and fell down herself!" and for once, no one reprimanded him on his language because Honda Kei was everything Sung Ha described him as.

"What!" three voices simultaneously shouted.

"He's not getting away with this is he? I mean, the police is going to investigate it right?" Emilia asked concerned.

"But didn't you hear what Sung Ha just said? The step bastard told the police that Misa-nee was drunk. They'll just writ it off as an accident. What are we gonna do?" Dex responded.

"Actually, the bastard is going to jail. That's about the only good thing that happened these last couple of days. Remember all that stuff I had you and Alex get on him? Well, I made sure the police found them." Tsuna explained.

"And seeing all that made the police want to investigate more, got it. So he's going to jail for sure? That's good." Alexandra asked. "Wait, how bad is Misa-nee injured? Is she gonna be able to compete next week?"

When no one answered, the three who don't live in Japan became more worried. Finally, Sung Ha decided to just tell them. "The doctors don't know what's wrong with her. She can't feel or move anything below the waist. She can't walk anymore! She'll have to spend the rest of her life on a wheelchair!"

"What the hell do you mean the doctors don't know what's wrong? How the hell can they not know? They're doctors! It's their job to know!" Emilia ranted.

"At first, they thought she might have damaged her spinal cord during the fall, but upon examination, they found nothing. They can't figure out why she can't move her legs." Hiroshi explained.

"So she'll never walk again?" Alexandra asked with tears in her eyes.

"….No." Tsuna said.

"What do you mean No Tsuna?" Hiroshi asked.

"I mean: No, she will walk again. I refuse to believe that we can't find a cure for her." Tsuna answered.

"But, the doctors can't find anything wrong." Sung Ha said.

"Then the doctors aren't good enough. Misa-nee will walk again. I promised her." Tsuna determinedly stated.

"That's right! We'll make her better! If these doctors aren't good, then we'll find better ones!" Emilia exclaimed followed by murmurs of agreement.

"All right then, Dex and Alex do a worldwide search for anyone that specializes in cases like this. They don't have to be doctors; they just need to have a method that works. Hell, I'll even take an old Chinese blind man if he can help." Tsuna ordered. "We are gonna find help and Misa-nee will walk again."

After talking for another 50 minutes, Tsuna cancelled the connection and went downstairs for dinner. When he finished, he excused himself early, despite his father's protests to spend more time with him. If he hadn't left so early, he might've heard an important conversation that his dad made.

* * *

-Iemitsu's Study-

"Report, has anyone suspicious been around?" Iemitsu asked. He was on the phone with one of the many people he had watching his family. After all, he was the External Advisor to one of the most powerful Mafia Families around. That territory doesn't come without dangers.

"We made a recent background check for all people who lived within a 2 mile radius of your house sir." The voice replied.

"And?"

"It seems that within the last 5 years, one person with connections to a Family moved here."

"What! Which Family?"

"The Cantelli Family. But it seems that the person isn't high up in the ladder."

'I don't care! I want information on him and anyone related to him! What's his name?"

"Kei, Honda Kei. He seems to have moved here with his family. But he hasn't been home for the past few days. The police were outside his house 2 days ago."

"Find out everything for me. See if he made any contact with my family. This needs to be taken care of."

"Yes sir, I'll contact you soon with more info."

* * *

-Present-

The rest of the plane ride was made in silence, despite Tsuna's many attempts to talk to the Guardians. After the fourth unsuccessful attempt, Tsuna decided to let them be and give them a chance to calm down.

It was around 4 o'clock in the afternoon when the plane finally landed in Nanimori Airport. There was a limousine waiting outside for the party. They had been informed that they were expected to make a report on the mission at Tsuna's house before they exited the aircraft. But, instead of getting on, the Guardians hesitated.

"I called Kyoko and she's coming to pick me up. I'm sure you don't need all of us to report. Laters." Ryohei coldly said as he started to walk away. Tsuna didn't even have a chance to reply before the boxer was out of sight.

"Kufufufufu, I must be going too. I have to make sure that Ken and Chikusa haven't destroyed our home. Besides, I have no interest in being near the presence of Mafia members any longer." Mukuro said before using his illusions to fade away.

Hibari didn't even bother to say anything before walking towards a car that had apparently been waiting for him. Some Disciplinary Committee members greeted him and opened the door for him before getting in themselves and driving away.

Tsuna turned and looked at the remaining people left. Lambo was starting to stir awake in Yamamoto's arms. "So, are you guys coming to dinner? I'm sure my mom has made enough food to feed 100 people" Tsuna said as an attempt return things to normal.

"No I can't. My dad wants me home since I was out all day yesterday." Yamamoto supplied without his usual smile.

Tsuna looked at Gokudera with a little bit of hope in his eyes. But, instead of rapidly agreeing to his invitations like he usually did, Gokudera looked away. "I have something to do Juudaime, sorry."

"But we have to give a report at my house." Tsuna pointed out, somewhat desperately. He hated the thought of losing friends.

"There's nothing much to report. Everything went according to your plan and you don't need us there when you report you part." Yamamoto said dryly. "I'm taking Lambo to my home."

Tsuna bristled at that. Did he think that Lambo wasn't safe at his house? Is he implying that he would actually hurt Lambo?

When Lambo heard what Yamamoto said he began to whine, "Lambo-san doesn't want to go home with you. Lambo-san wants to go home and eat maman's cooking!"

"Don't cry stupid cow. The baseball idiot has a lot of candy at his house. You don't want to go back to Juudaime;s house." Gokudera said, making Tsuna look at him in betrayal. Even his self-proclaimed 'right hand man' thought that he would actually hurt a kid.

At the thought of candy, Lambo quickly agreed to go home with Yamamoto.

Trying to at least stay civil, Tsuna offered them a ride home. But, the teens turned it down and hailed a cab instead. Tsuna didn't know what to think. Everyone just left him. Are they going to stay like this or are they going to continue their friendship? Tsuna resolved to let things rest for now; they deserved a few days to themselves.

The car ride home was boring. According to the driver, his father was waiting at home for the report. Tsuna absentmindedly wondered how long Iemitsu was going to stay home this time. Two days? Five days? It didn't matter. It was never over a week anyways.

The second Tsuna stepped into his house, he smelled his mother's cooking. He felt a pang of regret when he saw all the food that she was making. His father probably told her to make extra food since all the Guardians were supposed to come too.

"Mom, you don't have to cook so much." Tsuna said as he neared his mom.

"Don't be silly Tsu-kun. If I don't make a lot, all you growing boys will be hungry." she instantly replied without taking her eyes off of the pot.

"It's just me. The guys all have to go home for dinner. They were out all day yesterday so their families want to spend time with them today." Tsuna half lied.

"Oh? That's too bad. I was looking forward to feeding everyone too." Nana pouted then continued, "With Reborn-chan visiting his parents and Bianchi-chan in Italy, that just leaves your dad, you, I-Pin-chan, and Lambo-kun to cook for."

"Actually, Lambo is also visiting his family. I don't know when he's coming back." Tsuna quickly replied.

"Well, I guess it is important to visit family. His parents must really miss him since he's here so often. I wonder when he's coming back." Nana said as she put some ingredients back into the refrigerator. "Why don't you go find you dad? He probably wants to spend some quality time with you before he leaves."

"Sure. Mom, do you know when he's leaving?" Tsuna asked.

"You dad's leaving after dinner, honey: his boss called an hour ago. There was an emergency at a construction site that only your dad can fix. But, to spend time with you, your dad insisted that he leave only after you came back from your camping trip. Isn't he great?"

"Yeah, he's such a great dad" Tsuna murmured sarcastically before leaving to find his dad. 'At least this makes it easier for me to sneak out. With Reborn and dad gone, I'll have no trouble.'


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Happy New Year! Next chapter is here and hope you guys like it. Like always, reviews and comments are appreciated. I want to know how to improve the story. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

* * *

_Previously _

_"Then the doctors aren't good enough. Misa-nee will walk again. I promised her." Tsuna determinedly stated._

_"That's right! We'll make her better! If these doctors aren't good, then we'll find better ones!" Emilia exclaimed followed by murmurs of agreement._

_"All right then, Dex and Alex do a worldwide search for anyone that specializes in cases like this. They don't have to be doctors; they just need to have a method that works. Hell, I'll even take an old Chinese blind man if he can help." Tsuna ordered. "We are gonna find help and Misa-nee will walk again."_

* * *

-5 Years Ago-

It was ironic because it just so happened that the best person the Gram siblings could find was in fact an old Chinese blind man.

Yang Qing, creator of Chinese remedies and master of Qigong, was hopefully the answer to their prayers. The information they received spoke highly of the old man. Around China, he's known as the "miracle worker" who can cure patients that most doctors had long given up on.

The only problem was that although he could cure everyone, he doesn't. Only people who he deemed worthy would ever receive his help. There was a case years ago where he went all the way to France to look at a dying rich nobleman upon the request of the nobleman's wife. But, the second Yang Qing step into the room that housed the nobleman, he refused to cure him. It didn't matter how much money was offered, the old man would not so much as lift a hand for the dying man. It was as if the nobleman didn't meet the healer's requirements.

Dexter and Alexandra had managed to contact the aged healer, but whether or not he would help Misaki was another question. All they could do was wait.

It took 2 weeks for Yang Qing to make his way to Nanimori and what an agonizing 2 weeks it was for Tsuna and his friends. Everyday, someone from Tsuna's family of friends could be seen in the hospital with Misaki. The girl in question was torn between being flattered that her surrogate little siblings would actually fly to Japan to see her and being sad that they had such hope in their eyes whenever they talked about this healer.

Misaki wasn't stupid. She knew that the chances of her walking again were slim to none. After all, what could a healer do that trained doctors couldn't? But she couldn't say that to them, not when they believed like that. For those children who were trying so hard, she had to believe too.

Dexter and Alexandra were able to go to Japan because it was summer vacation time and their grandfather didn't really care what they did during their vacation time. Emily had only been able to go to Japan for a week before her family became suspicious so it was agreed for her to arrive two days before Yang Qing was due. Tsuna, Sung Ha, and Hiroshi took turns visiting Misaki with Tsuna going the most.

When the agreed upon day arrived, Tsuna made sure that no expenses were spared. He would be damned if he didn't at least guilt trip the old man into helping them. Misaki was scheduled for another test run at the hospital that day, which ended at 7 pm, so everybody went to the airport to pick up the healer.

The plane arrived at a little before 12 pm which gave them around 7 hours to convince the man to help them. They would then head to a late lunch and go to the shopping district to see if he wanted to buy anything. None of them had any old blind relatives so they didn't know what the healer would want to do for the rest of the day. But, they made reservations at a nice restaurant for dinner before they visited the hospital.

Now, Tsuna and the others had quite a sum of money and because they all loved Misaki, it was agreed that they would seek help even if they used up all their money for the treatment. So, they transferred all the money they could into a new account at a Japanese bank for quick access.

Alexandra and Dexter poured all their money in because they still had their inheritance from their grandfather to fall back on. Emilia, Tsuna and Hiroshi did the same because they had working guardians to provide for them. Sung Ha gave as much as possible while still being able to provide for his sister.

But, even though they had quite a sum of money, they didn't know how much the old man would charge them.

So at 12:00 pm, Tsuna and his friends stood in the airport, nervously watching as people trickled out of the gate. The limousine driver held up a sign with Yang Qing's name on it and stood beside them.

When 12:45 pm came and no old Chinese man came out of the gate, everyone became worried. 'Did Yang Qing decide not to come?' were the thoughts in their heads.

But, their fears were unfounded because 5 minutes later, an old man wearing a traditional Chinese outfit slowly walked out. His long hair was braided so that it fell close to his waist and he was wearing an old mandarin hat. Dark round sunglasses rested on his face and his gray beard went down to his chest. He was walking with the help of a finely crafted cane with a dragon head.

Walking slightly behind the aged healer was a boy who looked no older than they were, wearing an equally traditional Chinese outfit.

Tsuna was curious. Who was the boy who followed Yang Qing and what was he doing here? The boy looked bored as he walked with his head down. 'He looks kinda sad, like he doesn't want to be here. I wonder what's wrong.' Tsuna roughly pushed his thoughts of the boy away. He didn't have time to think about this kid; not when Misa-Nee's injuries needed more attention. All that mattered was the old man and finding a way to get him to help heal her. The boy didn't really matter at all. Right?

While Tsuna was deep in thought, the odd couple spotted the driver holding the sign and walked towards the group. He studied the old man's face as they approached. When the old man got close enough to not only see the tall driver but also the group of children surrounding him, he showed a brief moment of surprise on his face that only Tsuna seemed to see.

"Hey Dex, is it me or did Yang Qing just look surprised when he saw us?" Tsuna whispered to his friend.

"Don't be ridiculous dude, the man is blind. He probably doesn't even know we're here." the boy replied, also in a whisper.

"I thought I saw it though…." Tsuna said back.

"Look, there's a kid behind him. He probably told the old man we were here or something. See? They're talking."

"You're right. I mean the man can't possibly have seen us. He is blind after all." Tsuna murmured to himself more than anyone. But, Tsuna couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

It took another couple of seconds before both travelers arrived to where they were standing. Tsuna took the initiative and spoke for the group. "Welcome to Nanimori, Yang Shifu.* My name in Sawada Tsunayoshi. These are my friends; Dexter and Alexandra Gram are the ones who contacted you. Kim Sung Ha is the tall one at the side. Emilia Conti is the red haired girl who is standing by Yanagi Hiroshi, the dark haired one with glasses." he said as he pointed to each person.

Everyone gave a small bow when the introductions were over and collectively said a "It's nice to meet you."

Yang Qing smiled at them and commented on how polite they were. "It's nice to meet you too. As you know, my name is Yang Qing. I wish my grandson was as polite as you young ones are." he said and then looked at the boy behind him and continued, "Introduce yourself and be polite."

The boy looked up and stared at them with dark brown eyes that almost looked black. He gave them a nod and said a brief "Name's Yang Ju Long." and went back to staring at the ground.

* * *

-Present-

Tsuna found his father sitting in his study typing away on his laptop. It was unusual for the teen to see his dad with such a serious face. Iemitsu usually smiled and joked around when he was at home. But ever since Tsuna got pulled into this Vongola business, he started seeing a new side to his dad.

Tsuna knocked lightly on the opened door instead of just walking straight in. He knew when to be professional and when to be personal and this was definitely the time to be professional.

Iemitsu beckoned his son into the room and motioned for him to take a seat. He wasted no time before asking, "Did you tape the video of the apology?"

Tsuna nodded, a little miffed that his dad's first words weren't to ask about his safety, but to ask about the video that cost him so much. He gave the video he took to his father, who sent it to Nono via the internet.

Upon seeing that his Guardians weren't here, he asked his son "Tsuna, where are your Guardians? I thought I told the driver to tell you that I needed a report from everyone?"

"They," Tsuna paused to collect himself and continued, "They didn't want to come." His voice didn't betray his feelings and he kept himself calm and collected.

If Iemitsu was surprised by the statement, he didn't show it and continued to talk to Tsuna. "That's not a good professional attitude to have. Why didn't they come?"

"Everything went according to my plan so they didn't feel the need to come and report. Besides, they want to spend time with their families."

Iemitsu gave his son a hard look. "If I'm not mistaken, only Yamamoto and Hibari have any family members that are not involve with the Mafia. They shouldn't have all left. What is the real reason?"

Tsuna sighed before answering. "They saw me kill Alberto Genovesse and…didn't approve." he said while struggling to find the right words to say.

The external advisor's look softened. "Don't worry Tsuna; I'm sure they'll come around soon."

"I don't think they will dad. You didn't see the looks they gave me when we were on the jet."

"Don't underestimate the bond between yourself and your Guardians. The rings chose them for a reason. They learned that the Mafia world isn't all that pretty today. Give it time and they'll understand that you had to kill. You did your job." Iemitsu said before asking his son for the full report.

It took roughly an hour for Tsuna to recount everything that happened. Soon, their topic turned to the inheritance ceremony that would take place after Tsuna turned 16 in a few months. His father explained that he had to take lessons on diplomacy, manners, and leadership starting next week to prepare him. He needed to present a good front to all the people that would attend.

Soon, father and son were downstairs eating dinner, Mafia business forgotten as they talked about random things.

Iemitsu left half way through dinner, leaving Tsuna, I-Pin and his mother to finish all the food Nana made. Tsuna felt bad that his mom's cooking would go to waste. Sure, they would still be eaten as leftovers the next day, but it wouldn't be as good. He could see that his mom was also disappointed that even though she cooked all this food, there weren't enough people here to enjoy it.

Then, Tsuna had an idea. "Hey mom?"

"What is it Tsu-Kun?" his mom replied.

"I'm thinking about visiting some friends later today. They aren't going to the same high school that I am so we were going to hang out while we still can."

"Sure thing, Tsu-Kun. Just don't come back too late." Nana said while she started to clear the table.

"Well…I was wondering if I could take some food for them. We do have all these leftovers." Tsuna asked.

"But aren't their parents going to feed them?"

"Mom, we're growing teenagers! We're practically bottomless pits if the cooking's good and trust me, your cooking is good. So, can I?" he said with a smile.

Nana visibly brightened up. "Of course, Tsu-Kun! Here, just give me a few minutes to put them in some containers. I'll call you when I'm done." she happily voiced while hurriedly working.

Tsuna watched amused as his mom moved in speeds that his school track team would be jealous of. He couldn't wait until he could see all of his old friends again. They did talk on the communicator occasionally, but it just wasn't the same as talking to them physically.

* * *

-Ombranera Nanimori Base-

The Ombranera Guardians moped around the conference room, waiting for their Boss to arrive. Some were playing cards, one was sleeping, and some were just talking. All had their attention towards the door as the doorknob started to turn.

They stood up as one when the door fully opened to reveal a person wearing a Phoenix mask. The figure had spikey brown hair and was wearing a standard suit with the Ombranera Family insignia on it.

"Welcome back, Boss!" they chorused together with a bow.

The figure slowly removed his masked and gave the group a genuine smile. "It's great to be back guys. And, look! I've brought food!"

Tsuna laughed as the professional and stiff stances his Guardians had melted away. They darted towards him and snatched the box he was carrying. The girls hugged him and the boys either ruffled his hair or patted him on his back. Everyone seemed to talk at once so he couldn't understand anything.

But, he still loved it here.

He was back with his friends, the people that would never abandon him. His family of friends, his Familigia.

* * *

*Old Chinese healers like Yang Qing are usually called Shifu instead of Doctor. Shifu could also be taken to mean master, as in the master part of a master and apprenice relationship.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Next chapter is here! Hope you guys like it and please review and comment. Thanks for all the reviews you guys have given me so far. New goal: 100 reviews by chapter 15. I'm averaging about 6-7 reviews per chapter so it should be do able.

AN2: I'm trying to draw out the memory glimpses from Tsuna's childhood and how he got his Ombranera Guardians. Ju Long will be the last Guardian introduced and I want to know if you guys want me to post little adventures that Tsuna and the Ombranera's have been on. If not, I'll just stop with the XX Years Ago parts and just write in the present time.

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or anything related to it.

All dialogue will be in Japanese unless otherwise specificated.

"Speaking"

'thinking'

* * *

_Previously _

_The boy looked up and stared at them with dark brown eyes that almost looked black. He gave them a nod and said a brief "Name's Yang Ju Long." and went back to staring at the ground._

* * *

-5 Years Ago-

Yang Qing visibly frowned at his grandson's short introduction. "Ju Long! What did I tell you about being polite?" he scolded before turning to face Tsuna and his friends again. "I'm sorry about his attitude. His parents recently-"

He was cut off by Ju Long's voice, "Don't talk about them! It's family business; leave these outsiders out of it!"

The aged healer looked like he was about to scold the boy again. But, Tsuna, trying to ease the tension spoke out instead. "Yang Shifu, why don't we head out to the limo? You must be tired from the long plane ride. Is that all the luggage you have? Why don't we get that for you?"

It looked like the pair didn't traveled light. Ju Long had a small backpack, a large blue hand held bag, and a moderate sized luggage with wheels with him, while Yang Qing had a large box and an old satchel. Without being prompted, the limo driver reached for the heavier looking box while Sung Ha went for the satchel.

"Why thank you." the aged man said with a smile and then continued when he saw the limo driver grimace at the weight of the box. "We try to be prepared for everything."

Tsuna goggled when he saw that. 'Just how much does that box weigh? How did Yang Shifu even carry something so heavy?'

Thinking that Ju Long might also want help, Tsuna signaled Dexter and both of them went towards the boy who was busy glaring at them for reasons unknown to Tsuna.

"Hey, errrr… do you want help with those bags?" Tsuna tentatively asked.

"I don't need any help! Mind your own business!" the boy growled out before walking towards the exit.

Tsuna and Dexter just stood there for a moment, stunned. "What did I ever do to him?"

Dexter just shrugged.

The walk to the limo was short and Tsuna spent that time talking to the Chinese healer. It wasn't until they were actually in the car that the topic of the conversation drifted towards Misaki and her disability.

It was then that Yang Qing dropped a bombshell on the young group of kids.

"1 million dollars. If I decide to treat the girl, I will require 1 million dollars, or if you prefer, 76.9112444 million yen." he announced as soon as the topic was breached.

Everyone's jaws dropped at the amount, even Ju Long's. If the situation wasn't so serious, Tsuna would have laughed at how precise the conversion from US dollars to yen was. But at the moment, he was too busy trying to remember how much money they had available.

Tsuna nudged Dexter and whispered, "Dex! Please tell me we have 1 million dollars in our account."

Dexter pulled out his laptop and started typing away. After a few seconds he frowned and whispered back, "Even if we add this month's bank interest, we only have around 950,000 dollars!"

The brown haired boy paled at the words. They were short 50,000 dollars! That wasn't by any means chump change. That was a lot of money! He quickly ran through his options. The only one that still had money was Sung Ha and even if he did pour in the rest of his money, they would still be short. Dexter and Alexandra couldn't touch their inheritance until they are legal adults. No bank would loan a 10 year old any money. Asking his parents was out of the question.

Tsuna was stumped and didn't know what to do. As he continued to think, he felt a chill go down his spine: as if someone were intensely staring at him. He snapped his head up and followed the feeling. His eyes landed on non-other than Yang Qing, the blind healer. Even though the man was blind and wearing sunglasses, Tsuna still felt the intensity of the stare. He could faintly see the old man's eyes behind his shades and they were trained on him. Observing his reactions and judging them. But, that was preposterous! Blind men's eyes wouldn't do that!

As if sensing that Tsuna was staring back at him, Yang Qing smiled. "That won't be a problem, will it?" he drawled out.

Tsuna grimaced at the tone. 'Of course it'll be a problem! Children don't just randomly have a million dollars lying around the house to use!' he thought privately.

Instead of voicing his thoughts, Tsuna took a deep breath and smiled back. "Of course not, Yang Shifu. As long as you help my friend, payment won't be an issue."

He would figure out something later.

* * *

-Present time-

Tsuna smiled as he watched his friends devour the food his mom had made. Well, at least the food was being used for its original purpose: to feed his Guardians.

10 minutes later, when they were all 'fed and watered,'* Tsuna started the meeting. He knew that his friends were all very curious and he wouldn't deny them their answers. So, he opened the floor with "What do you guys want to know?"

His Guardians looked at one another before Yanagi Hiroshi spoke up. They had plenty of time to think of what to ask and it seemed fitting that the right hand man start.

"How was the mission? Don't think I didn't notice that you seemed a little down when you came in." the teen said.

Tsuna smiled at his long-time friend; his first friend; his best friend; his right hand man. He couldn't have asked for a better friend. "As far as the mission is concerned, everything went great. We had no casualties and major injuries. We captured everyone that had to be captured and killed everyone that had to be killed."

He saw some of his Guardians grimace when he said the last part. They knew his views on killing.

They were members of the Mafia, and not just any members either; they were the founders of the Ombranera Family. Tsuna's Ombranera Guardians, unlike their sheltered Vongola counterparts, knew exactly what it meant to be in the Mafia. They knew that just words and money wouldn't make a Family. There were no non-violent Families because they wouldn't be able to survive. And sometimes, killing someone just had to be done. A person not killed today could come back tomorrow with stronger allies. A traitor left alive could lead to valuable secrets getting to a rival Family.

It's not that Tsuna encouraged or even liked killing. But, like Reborn said on the morning of his graduation, the Familigia was more important than anything else. If killing one person could save the lives of his Family members, Tsuna would do it in a heart-beat.

The Ombranera understood that and from the looks on their faces, Tsuna could tell that they still accepted him. Out of the 7 people in the room, now including Tsuna, 4 have already killed.

"So why are you sad, Tsu?" Alexandra asked, "It isn't completely about the killing, is it?"

"As smart as ever, Alex. You're right." He replied. He paused for a moment, not sure of how to continue. "Instead of telling you guys what happened, why don't I show you instead?"

It was standard Ombranera Family gear to have. Every single Guardian and a majority of the other members had to have a small camera somewhere on their bodies. It took the form of a headband, watch, glasses, or pretty much anything. This invention by the Gram siblings had 3 uses. The first was to have a hands free way of recording something. It also emitted a signal to every Ombranera Base so that tracking members would be easy. And, it had a voice activated SOS function.

Tsuna had his in the form of simple helix* earring. The mini camera had been turned on because his Guardians had wanted to watch the Nanimori Middle School Graduation. But, they couldn't show up for obvious reason. So, they asked Tsuna to use the mini camera. Since Hiroshi's last name is Yanagi, he wouldn't have had a good enough view because his seat was in the back.

So, for the next 2 hours, the group watched what Tsuna did after graduation. They listened to Tsuna's conversation with Nono in the limo and heard his orders. They watched as the Vongola tenth generation planned out their attack. They watched as Tsuna confronted the Genovesse Family's top brass. They heard Alberto Genovesse beg for death. They saw the looks on the Vongola's faces when they entered the meeting room. They listened as the Vongola blew off Tsuna on the jet ride home. And, they watched as the Vongola abandoned Tsuna outside the airport.

Tsuna observed his Guardians as they examined the video. And to his immense joy, not one of them looked disappointed, afraid of, or angry at him. There were hints of sadness on their faces, but he knew that they were unhappy about Nono's orders.

When the video was done, Tsuna waited for them to start talking first. It didn't take long for them to finish processing what they had seen into their brains and begin.

"The bastard Tomatoe actually made you torture someone?" were the first words out of Emilia's mouth.

Tsuna couldn't help but laugh when he heard his Sun Guardian's words. "It's Timoteo, Lia, not Tomatoe."

"Whatever. I don't remember people who aren't important." she replied.

"Emilia's right, dude. I can't believe he ordered a 15 year old to do such an extensive torture session and kill 8 people!" Dexter yelled out next.

"Well, technically, he ordered: a 6 year old, four 15 year olds, and two 16 year old." Tsuna said, trying to make his grandfather figure look better. But all it did was make everyone glare at him.

"Rigghhhttttt." Dexter said with sarcasm while drawing out the word, "that makes it sooooo much better."

"Plus it doesn't matter even if he did. He should've known that you were too softhearted to let you Guardians kill anyone. Why didn't he send any back up?" Sung Ha asked.

"Dad said that we had to show the Mafia world what the Tenth Generation Leaders could do. He said that we have to show that we aren't being babied or anything." was the answer the teen gave.

"Che. What if they actually had people who could fight? Sending kids in with no back up. What were they thinking! You guys were just lucky that they didn't have any 'Flame' users in that Family." Hiroshi bit out.

"Speaking of 'Flames,' are you sure that the Genovesse Family had no knowledge of it at all?" Tsuna asked as he remembered his talk with Nono.

"Yeah, I double checked after Hiro told us about your mission. That Family was a middle class Family. Only the top Familigias know about the 'Flames.' The Genovesse, being a business type Family, didn't have info on weapons like that. Why?" Dexter replied.

"Grandpa told me that Frederico was repeatedly tortured and beaten during his captivity. Frederico said that he was beaten 6 days ago but I knew that he was at one of our Bases in Italy." Tsuna started but was interrupted by Emilia who voiced her displeasure. "What a lying Son of a B****! I'll show him torture!"

Ignoring Emilia's rants and insults, Tsuna continued. "So, I asked grandpa why Frederico had no major physical wounds when he arrived at the Vongoal safehouse. He told me that Frederico was healed by one of the Genovesse's 'Sun Flame' users."

"Well, it's obviously a lie." Ju Long pointed out.

"I know that now, but I don't understand why Frederico would lie like that. I guess he could have been delusional after his captivity. He probably had a mix up with the facts." Tsuna mused out loud.

"Dude! You've gotta stop trying to see the nice in everyone. Frederico is clearly trying to pull something here. The question is what? What does he gain by lying like that?" Dexter pondered.

"What I want to know is why those Vongola b******* walked out on Tsuna at the airport! Even they should know that you never abandon your Boss!" Sung Ha growled out.

"That's right! What kind of Guardians are they! What if there was an assassin lurking around! Tsu coulda been hurt!" Emilia agreed.

"Hey! I'm not that weak!" Tsuna complained with a huff.

"It doesn't matter! The point is that at least one of them should have been with you!" Sung Ha retorted.

"Well, you can't blame them too much I guess. They did just see me torture and kill. It's normal for them to be a little different." Tsuna reasoned.

"Yeah, but what was that on the plane? They all just pretty much ignored you and didn't let you talk!" Emilia pointed out.

"Um. They were tired?" Tsuna responded.

"Sure they were. Stop defending them Tsu! Just face it! Those sheltered brats aren't worth it!" Emilia continued to argue.

"Brats? I would hardly call people the same age as us brats." Ju Long said with a smirk.

"Oh shut it Ju Long, you know what I mean." Emilia snapped back. "Those Vongola bit-"

"Don't insult them Lia. They're still my friends" Tsuna cut in.

"Fine. Those Vongola Guardians don't fully understand what it means to be a Guardian in a Family!" she corrected.

"They're still new at this. I'm sure that they'll understand if we give them some time." Tsuna replied unsurely.

"We can talk about that later. Right now, we have to talk about something more important." Hiroshi cut in before the discussion could continue.

"What? The torture thing?" Tsuna asked confused. "Are you mad about it?"

"No. We all know that you had to do it. You don't have to make any excuses for us. It doesn't matter to us what you did. You are still our Boss." Hiroshi stated as everyone nodded their agreement.

"Then what?"

"How do you feel about all of this?" Hiroshi asked as he gestured to the screen where the video had been paused.

That answer was complicated to many degrees. Tsuna closed his eyes briefly to gather his thoughts. Was he mad that he had to take this mission? Was he frustrated that Frederico's lies eventually led to his Vongola Guardians distrusting him? Was he sad that said Guardians wouldn't even listen to him explain anymore? How did he feel?

* * *

*Can you guess which book that's from?

*For those of you that don't know, a helix earring is basically a cartilage earring ring that is placed on the upper ear where the cartilage is.

* * *

Character Profiles (cont. from chapter 1)

Update

Sawada Tsunayoshi - Sky; Spiky brown hair that goes straight up with brown eyes

Kim Sung Ha - Storm; Short black hair with red eyes

Yang Ju Long - Mist; Semi long black hair with dark brown eyes (looks black but apparently people can't have black eyes)

Emilia Conti - Sun; Dark red hair with red eyes

Alexandra Gram - Rain; Long blond hair with blue eyes

Dexter Gram - Lightning; Short messy blond hair with blue eyes

Yanagi Hiroshi - Cloud; Spiky black hair with green eyes that glow


	12. Chapter 12

AN: New chapter up and I hope you like it. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

* * *

_Previously_

_Instead of voicing his thoughts, Tsuna took a deep breath and smiled back. "Of course not, Yang Shifu. As long as you help my friend, payment won't be an issue." _

_He would figure out something later._

* * *

-5 Years Ago-

It was a little over 1:30 when the limo pulled into the commercial center of Nanimori. Shops aligned the streets selling merchandise that ranged from pencils to TVs. As the limo made its way to a parking lot, Tsuna cleared his throat and spoke to the 2 visitors. "It's around 1:30 right now. Since we're not supposed to go to the hospital until 7, we'll stop right now for a late lunch. I hope you don't mind a quick bite to eat."

Yang Qing smiled and replied, "Of course not. Growing children like you need to eat. Besides, airplane food doesn't quite suit my tastes. A meal right now would be splendid, wouldn't it Ju Long?"

The boy grunted in response, not really paying attention to the conversation.

They exited the vehicle and made their way to a nearby food court. The food court system in Nanimori was unique. Instead of just going to a place and buying food, everyone purchased a card and charged money into it. Then, when they wanted to buy something, they just give the cashiers the card instead of money. This served 2 purposes. The first was so that everything would be more sanitary since the chefs (who are also the cashiers) won't be touching the dirty money. The second is so that no one is cheated out of any change. There were times before when dishonest buyers or cashiers would give the incorrect amount due.

"Go ahead and pick anything you want. Please don't hesitate to get anything. Just use this card to pay. It has a good amount in it so I'm sure you won't run out of money." Tsuna politely told the visitors.

The children would pay for anything the aged man and his grandson bought. That was one of the things the whole group had agreed on. They needed to make a great impression and this was a perfect way to do so. They didn't think much about it at the time. Seriously, how much could an old man and a kid possibly eat?

As the group stood back and watched Yang Qing and Ju Long walk off, Tsuna started thinking about their money issues. Together, they had roughly 72 million yen and they needed around 76.5 million. Counting the 1 million they allocated to use for expenses today, they would need a little less than 6 more million to reach their goal.

It was time to play with stocks again.

Tsuna turned to Dexter and Alexandra. "Okay I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that we're short on money. Bust out your laptops and let's get to work." he finished with a feral grin.

The twins put on equally scary grins and had their machines out in seconds. Tsuna might not be the most technologically savvy person in the world, but he sure had the best luck.

"It's almost 2 right now and the Tokyo Stock Exchange closes at 3. Time for some quick day trading." he said as both Grams connected to the internet.

"Alright dude, do your magic and pick today's big winners." Dexter said. "By the way, how much are we using?"

"We'll use 60 million for this. That'll give us 10 million to fall back on just in case." Tsuna responded as he pointed to which businesses felt right to him.

"There won't be a just in case, dude. The God of luck shines upon you!" Dexter smirked.

"The God of luck shines upon you? Where the hack did that come from?" Sung Ha laughed out.

"Hmm? I got it from a fortune cookie. It's good stuff." the 10 year old genius replied.

Tsuna shared a look with Alexandra and both rolled their eyes at the male Gram's reply. As the siblings got to work on the stock market, the rest of the group looked for the two visitors. When they finally saw them, they almost did a group face fault.

Between the grandfather and grandson pair, they had at least 15 dishes filled with to the brim with food. And, not just any food. It looked like they got the most expensive dishes this place had to offer: shark fin soup, wagyu beef, kurobuta, etc.

"How the hell did they manage to carry all of that? They don't even look tired!" Sung Ha exclaimed while pointing incredulously at the pair who were making their way to them.

Tsuna shook his head in disbelief.

"They're not gonna eat all that, are they? I'm full just looking at it." Hiroshi whispered.

"I know! Isn't Yang Qing supposed to be blind? How's he walking like that?" Emilia whispered back.

Tsuna shushed the group as the two visitors got closer and plastered on a polite smile. He motioned for his friends to help relieve some of the dishes.

"Oh there you are Tsuna-kun. We've been looking all over for you." Yang Qing said. Tsuna noted the "we."

"Is there a problem?" Tsuna asked.

"No, no. I was just wondering if you could add some more money into the card. There are still some dishes I would like to buy. After all, we don't travel to Japan often so we need to make the best of this." the old man smoothly replied.

Tsuna almost frowned but kept his face in check. "Are you sure you can finish all that food?"

"Of course. Besides, Ju Long here is a healthy boy and you know how much boys eat." Yang Qing replied.

Tsuna snuck a glance at the mentioned boy. Ju Long had a bored look on his face. But, the second he saw Tsuna staring at him, the boy's look turned smug. "Sure, would 4000 more be good?"

"I was thinking more like 10,000." Yang Qing said.

"…. Okay, I'll go add that now."

'This had better not be a scam. The old man better be one hell of a healer.' he thought.

* * *

-Present Time-

It's been over a week since he came back from the mission and Tsuna loved every day of it. Without Reborn constantly at his side provoking him and hurting him, it was like a mini vacation. He could what he wanted, whenever he wanted. No reborn to kick him awake at 5 am. No professional hitman watching his every move. No spontaneous training trips that made life and death situations seem like child's play.

But, pne problem was that his Vongola Guardians were still pretty much ignoring him and that irked him to no end.

It wasn't like he didn't try to talk to them. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

He went to Yamamoto's sushi shop 4 times in 8 days and every time, the Rain Guardian would be too busy to talk. And, when the topic of Lambo came up, the little boy would always be bribed to stay at the Yamamoto's instead of going back to the Sawada's. Tsuna wasn't going to force his youngest Guardian to do anything, especially since Lambo is the only one who still liked him. But it bugged him that Yamamoto was going to such lengths to stop Lambo from going home with him.

He also hadn't gotten a chance to talk to the Sun Guardian either. Whenever he tried to find Ryohei, Kyoko would always get in the way. It was like she just knew the two of them had gotten into a disagreement. So, she took her brother's side and listened to his wishes of not seeing Tsuna.

Gokudera was even worse in his tries to avoid the soon to be Vongola Decimo. He went so far as to move out of his old apartment, which was pretty drastic in Tsuna's opinion.

He tried looking for Mukuro. But the horrific real life illusions surrounding Kokuyo Land were enough to tell him that the illusionist didn't want Tsuna anywhere near him.

He even tried visiting Hibari at school 3 times; only to be chased out by members of the discipline Committee twice and Hibird once.

So all in all, mission: Reconnect with Friends was a fail.

Now you're probably wondering 'If it was a fail, then why was Tsuna so happy?'

Well the answer's simple. Even though Tsuna didn't get to have a decent conversation with his Vongola Guardians, he still got to spend a lot of time at the Ombranera Base. Because both Reborn and Iemitsu were gone, it was easier to sneak out and meet up at the Base. Hanging out with his long-time friends was an activity that he hadn't done in over a year. It brought him back to the good old days, when he would see at least one of them everyday. Sure they saw each other once in a while now, but with all the work he had to do because of his long absences, they hardly got to just have fun.

This past week was different. Tsuna got to play video games with the guys, go shopping with the girls, and generally just act like a teenager for once. It was relaxing.

But today felt off to the boy. Something was going to happen that would end his current happy routine. Throughout the years, Tsuna had learned to trust his gut feeling, even before he learned that it was his Hyper Intuition. So, he spent the whole day wondering about what would happen.

As Tsuna laid on his bed fiddling with his Vongola ring, he heard his cell phone ring. 'It's 2 in the morning. Who could it be? Hiroshi? Did I forget something at the Base?' He checked his caller ID and sighed. 'Great. I was hoping to be Vongola free for the rest of summer vacation. Guess that's too much to ask.'

"Hello?"

"Oh Tsuna-kun, I hope I'm not bothering you. You weren't sleeping were you?" a grandfatherly voice asked.

"No, I was just using my computer. Did you need something, grandpa?"

"I just called to congratulate you on a job well done on your last mission. I would have called sooner, but my attention has been focused on Frederico."

"Don't worry about it. How is Frederico-san doing?"

"He's almost all healed up and doesn't want to stay a minute longer in the hospital. That's actually why I'm calling. I've decided to send Frederico to Nanimori for a while to help with his recuperation."

"To Nanimori? Why here?"

"Actually, he asked to go there. He wanted to meet you before the inheritance ceremony. Probably wants to get to know you better. Besides, it's a good idea for him to be out of Italy, just in case another Family decides to do something. If he's in Japan, then you and your Guardians can protect him."

"…Right, of course we'll protect him. He's your son right? That means he's like an uncle to me. I can't wait to meet him."

"That's good to hear. He's preparing to get on the private jet now. So, I estimate that he'll be there in 16 hours. That's around 6pm in Japan."

"Okay. I'll pick him up at the airport then."

"Thank you, Tsuna-kun."

"No problem, grandpa. Is there anything else?"

"Hmm? No, that's all. I'll let you go to sleep now."

"Alright, bye."

"Bye."

Tsuna had a thoughtful look on his face as he hung up the phone. Frederico was coming to Nanimori. Was there a secret reason behind this? Was the man really coming just to meet the soon to be Vongola Decimo?

He couldn't help but think about the conversations he and his Ombranera Guardians had about Frederico. Although Tsuna was adamant that Nono's son was a good person who's been through a lot of pain already, his friends thought otherwise. Most were saying that Frederico was a trickster, just biding his time until he steals the Decimo position from Tsuna. They pointed out how he lied to Nono about several facts pertaining to his kidnapping. They made valid points, but until he saw the man for himself, Tsuna wouldn't make any hasty judgements.

He quickly called the Ombranera Base and told them Frederico was coming. The safest thing to do would be having Frederico watched. That way, Tsuna would know immediately if something was wrong. He was giving the man the benefit of a doubt, but that didn't mean Tsuna completely trusted him.

* * *

Tsuna stood at the airport, alone, holding a hastily made sign. He had tried to contact his Guardians to tell them that an important person was coming, but no one listened. Maybe it was still too soon for him to talk to them.

Frederico would be living at the Sawada house. After all, who better to protect the injured man than the future Decimo himself? Nana was overjoyed to learn that she would be having guests again soon. The house had been lonely with only Nana, I-Pin and Tsuna there. I-Pin had taken to disappearing off during the day since Lambo wasn't there to play with her.

Frederico slowly walked out of the small gate while a man besides him carried his luggage. He scanned the crowed for a familiar face. He had seen Tsuna's picture countless times. Iemitsu used to love to brag about his precious son and Nono had shown him a recent picture not too long ago. It was easy to spot the boy with his spiky brown hair and big sign.

As Frederico approach the boy, he couldn't help but smirk at that fact that none of the boy's Guardians were here. That was a good sign. The lack of Guardians meant that he must have done something to make them lose a lot of respect for him, otherwise there would be at least one Guardian here with him. It would be easy to convince everyone that the boy wasn't fit to become Decimo anymore. 'He souldn't even be a candidate! Not when I'm the son of the current Boss! I deserve to be Decimo!' Frederico thought as continued to walk.

It didn't take long for the man to reach the boy. They stared at eachother, each one judging the other with a piercing gaze.

Tsuna broke the silence first as he attempted to be polite. "Hi, welcome to Nanimori. You must be Frederico-san. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna for short."

Frederico, seeing that Tsuna broke the silence first, assumed that the boy was too weak to continue to manly stare-off they were having. He smirked inwardly as he thought that becoming Decimo just became easier.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Sorry for the delay, but here's the next chapter. I find it weird that I somehow write more during school than when on vacation. I guess when I'm on break, I feel too lazy or something. Anyways, reviews and comments are appreciated like always. It's slightly longer than usual so I hope that kinda makes up for the lateness. Closed to 5,000 words so not too bad.

AN2: In this part, we start to see the beginning formation of Ombranera. I know it's kinda cheesy and lame how it started, but that's the best I got.

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

**English**

* * *

_Previously_

_Tsuna almost frowned but kept his face in check. "Are you sure you can finish all that food?"_

_"Of course. Besides, Ju Long here is a healthy boy and you know how much boys eat." Yang Qing replied._

_Tsuna snuck a glance at the mentioned boy. Ju Long had a bored look on his face. But, the second he saw Tsuna staring at him, the boy's look turned smug. "Sure, would 4000 more be good?"_

_"I was thinking more like 10,000." Yang Qing said._

_"…. Okay, I'll go add that now."_

_'This had better not be a scam. The old man better be one hell of a healer.' he thought._

* * *

-5 Years Ago-

The hour went by slowly and Tsuna couldn't wait until it was time to go to the hospital. Lunch was a waste. That was the only word that could be used to describe the event. It was both a waste of time and a waste of money.

They had bought a lot of food and Tsuna already expected and accepted that some would go to waste. After all, unless they literally had bottomless pits for stomachs, there was no way that an old man and a child could eat everything.

What he didn't expect was for them to take a bite out of one dish and promptly move on to the next one, never once going back to a dish no matter how good or expensive it was. One measly little bite and so much wasted food. And if that wasn't enough, when they went through all the dishes they bought once, they had the gall to ask for more money to buy more food! And of course, Tsuna couldn't help but agree for fear of upsetting the aged healer. He could only sit by and smile while the duo spent more and more money, sometimes even buying dishes that they already tried.

It was infuriating and every part of his being screamed that he shouldn't allow them to just blatantly waste food like that. Not when so many people in the world didn't have enough to eat. Not when children cried themselves to sleep when the hunger pains became unbearable. His mind involuntarily flashed back to the trip he and his friends took last year when they visited Emilia in Italy. His thoughts then were the same as his thoughts now. It was unacceptable. But what could he do? Order the potential savior of his surrogate sister to not waste food and hope that he wouldn't be offended enough to just leave?

No, he couldn't risk that. And it's not like he could ask his friends to eat the leftovers themselves. That might send the wrong message. But, he could make sure that the leftovers wouldn't be thrown away. That much he could do. He asked the workers, politely of course, to pack up the leftovers, never noticing a certain blind old man smile, and went to talk to the twins.

His friends were watching wide-eyed as Yang Qing and his grandson went through dish after dish. 1 million yen might not be enough if this continued.

"This is sick." Emilia finally said, voicing the thoughts of everyone currently watching the duo. "How can they just waste food like that?"

"Shhh! Don't let them hear you, Lia! You might offend them or something!" Dexter whispered back while still typing on his computer. There were only 5 minutes left before the stock market closed for the day and they would need every second of it. Alexandra sat beside him, also typing away. She was simultaneously selling their recently bought stocks and checking their overall earnings. It would be close, but it seemed like they would just barely make it.

"Let them hear me! I outa go over there and b-mhm hmmhm!" Emilia started to rant but was cut off when a hand covered her mouth. She glared at the offending party but softened her eyes when she realized who it was.

Tsuna gave her an apologetic smile, "Sorry Lia, but you were attracting too much attention and we have work to do. Give me a sec."

He looked at his watch and waited. 10 seconds till 3 o'clock…..5 seconds…and time. He heard both Dexter and Alexandra close their laptops and motioned for them to come over. "Alright guys, I don't know about you but I can't stand the fact that those two are wasting so much food."

"It's not just you, dude. We feel the same. But what can we do about it?" Dexter said grimly.

"Well, I was watching them and I got to thinking. There's a lot of people out there in the world who are starving and homeless. We are fortunate, aren't we? We've got people to take care of us and we've got eachother." Tsuna started, deep in thought. "Hey guys? Do you remember that trip we took to Italy last year?"

Everyone nodded their heads and some even frowned as they recalled the trip. It was a trip that they would never forget. In a way, you could say that it was the time when they lost their childlike innocence. Before that trip, everyone was focussed on their own little world that barely branched to a few contacts overseas. Most children their age were like that: only caring about their situations and never wondering about how other people might be living.

Sure, they each faced their own problems. Abusive parents. An indifferent yet overbearing grandfather. A sick sister and uncaring parents. A lying father. A patronizing step-family. But, they realized that even with their problems, they had a good life compared to others. They had people who loved them and the basic neccesities needed to survive.

Italy. It was supposed to be a fun trip: a surprise visit to their red headed friend who was usually forced to spend summer days out of the house in the heat by herself. Her step-family always found some excuse to make her leave and her father was always too busy to notice.

That was where they first saw the world for what it could be. Unforgiving. People lining the streets, begging for food. Children actually fighting with each other just for a loaf of bread. All of them, hungry and in need. And the worst part was that none of it was their fault. Some were just born into the wrong family. And others were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The group of children had just been roaming the streets, eager to see the whole city. It was also Emilia's first time living at this particular summer estate, so she couldn't serve as a guide to the others. That was how they unwittingly wandered into what people would call the "bad" part of town.

It was just then that something that was common place happened. Though it was common to the residents of that area, it was a new experience for Tsuna and his friends. A child was literally being beaten to death by a group of adults. In his hands was a small over riped apple. Next to them was a small girl crying out the name "Antonio" over and over again.

Now, Tsuna and his friends were anything but weak. But, even they knew that there was nothing they could do for the boy except maybe help him when the aggressors left. And help him they did along with any other nearby children. Though they were distrustful at first; but who wouldn't be of strangers? Eventhually, the street kids warmed up to Tsuna and his friends, telling them their stories and how life was like for them.

The children spent the remainder of their vacation visiting Antonio and vowing to return to help one day. Antonio, on his part, wanted to believe their words, but he knew that the world wasn't so kind as to allow him hope.

"This will be the first step. We said that we would find a way to help all those children who are suffering in the world, didn't we?" Tsuna announced with passion, "All that food that they were going to throw away… I say we donate them instead. Give them to the people who need them in Nanimori. Maybe in the future, we can branch out and eventually help everyone!"

"Did you just decide to start a charity group while watching them eat?" Emilia asked.

The brown haired boy shook his head. "No, I decided to start the group last year in Italy. But, it's only now that I have a definite plan." At his friends' confused expressions, he went on to elaborate, "I just realized. We have a lot of power, don't we? I mean, Dex and Alex are tech geniuses. With their help, we managed to make a fortune in a short amount of time. If we can do that, why can't we use the money to help people?"

"Cuz we're just a bunch of kids, dude." Dexter aptly replied. "Don't they have adults for things like this?"

"Antonio was a kid too. And did you forget? It was adults that almost killed him. If the adults can't do anything right, then it's up to the kids to do it themselves. Don't you think so?" Tsuna asked with fire in his eyes. He wasn't trying to be mean or anything, but most of the adults in his life and in the lives of his friends weren't doing a very good job at, well, anything.

"I think you're right." Sung Ha declared. "You guys helped me and my sister even when you didn't have to. I'm willing to do the same in return for others."

"A group, huh? Kinda like an organization?" Dexter mulled it over, "Dude! We could totally make a super secret organization or something! Give it a cool name and stuff! We could be like the protectors of the innocent. Working in the shadows to make the world a safer place!"

The group rolled their eyes at the blond's childish exclamation but nodded in agreement. Tsuna smiled, "Working in the shadows, huh? I like that. If we're in the shadows, no one has to know we're kids. After all, whose gonna take children seriously?"

"Hey, it looks like the wasteful duo is done." Emilia said as she tilted her head in the duo's direction for emphasis.

Tsuna groaned as he looked at all the plates on the table. "Great, I hope they don't shop as much as they eat." he muttered, "Cuz if they do, we'll go broke before we get to the hospital."

* * *

-Present-

The ride back from the airport was filled with conversation between the Future Vongola Decimo and the son of the current Boss.

"So, where are these Guardians that I've heard so much about?" the man casually asked. He glanced at the brown haired boy, trying hard to hide his contempt. The Vongola Family was arguably the strongest in the world! He'd be damned if he let some _half-breed_ take leadership! It was his by right of inheritance! He just needed to make the Family understand that. Besides, it wasn't like everybody was gung ho about the current choice for the Decimo position.

Tsuna blinked once at the question, certain that it held a deeper meaning. Was that smugness he sensed? Nah, that couldn't be right. "They're-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, he was cut off. "They're probably busy, right? They have to be doing something extremely important if not even a single one came, right?" Frederico was playing a dangerous game. By interrupting Tsuna, a person who now had a higher rank in the Family than him, he was insinuating that he held no respect for the boy.

But Tsuna was never one for rules and regulations so he let the rude interruption slide; something that caused Frederico to lower his respect for him even more. "Yes well, they each have their own things to do. But, since you insist on meeting them, I'll make sure they are at my house to greet us when we get home." Tsuna said with a strained smile.

Tsuna inwardly groaned. He had to get his Guardians to his house before the limo arrived home. He silently pulled out his cellphone and started to text his Guardians Not his Vongola ones, but his Ombranera ones: the ones he knew would follow his orders without hesitation.

_Guys, I want my V Guardians at my house within 2 hours. Frederico wants to meet them. - Tsuna_

Almost immediately, his cellphone vibrated 6 times to show that he had recieved 6 messages. Each message basically had the same thing. Tsuna smiled at how fast they replied. Truly, his friends were the best.

_On it Boss. - Everyone_

* * *

Yamamoto Sushi

Yamamoto Takeshi sat down at a table and smiled as he watched Lambo eat another plate of sushi. He had spent a lot of time trying to convince the 6 year old that sushi was just as good, if not better, than grape flavored candy. But Lambo wouldn't give in and kept begging for the candy that Tsuna always stocked at his house. The teen had tried looking at several different stores, even going so far as to visit the neighboring town, but couldn't seem to find the right brand that Lambo loved and it was only extreme hunger that made the child start eating the sushi. Upon searching on the internet, Yamamoto had discovered that the candy that Tsuna always gave to Lambo had to be imported all the way from America. Only one store sold it and it didn't have any oversea branches.

Tsuna.

That was someone he didn't want to think about for to think about Tsuna would be to also think about that gruesome scene he and the other Guardians had walked into. The sight of the blood covered Sawada standing over the body, if one could still call that piece of quivering flesh a body, of Alberto Genovesse still haunted him at night.

That wasn't the Tsuna he knew. Or maybe, had he just judged the brown haired boy wrong all along? Maybe Tsuna was always the cold-blooded killer and had just been hiding his true self?

Yamamoto looked down at the ring he wore on his right hand: the ring that he had fought with his life for. The catalyst that ultimately led to his decision to give up baseball, the one game that made him feel connected to his deceased mother. What had possesed him to do so? Why was he taking this Mafia game so seriously that he had actually stopped playing his favorite sport?

Though, a small part in the back of his mind nagged him, telling him that it wasn't just a game. He vaguely remembered all the times when Gokudera would scoff at him whenever he mentioned how fun the game was. Deep down, Yamamoto knew that what he had been participating in for the better part of his middle school career was not a game. What kind of game regularly invovled dangerous weapons and semi-death matches? Unless he was in some sort of reality TV show...

Still, the teen had gone with the flow. He had thought that even if this were the real Mafia, as long as he followed the kind hearted Tsuna, everything would be okay.

But, Tsuna wasn't a kind hearted as he thought if what he had seen was any indication. Though Tsuna did try to explain himself on the plane ride home. But honestly, what kind of explanation 'I had to do it'? Maybe it was time to return the ring? Yamamoto looked at Lambo again and frowned at the thought of putting a child in danger. Maybe Lambo shouldn't have that ring either.

He absentmindedly noticed that the last 2 customers in the shop had gotten up to leave. 'Must be foreigners' he thought as he noted the blond hair both of them had. 'Siblings, maybe? They look like it'

Before the two opened the door to leave the sushi shop, one of them turned to face Yamamoto. This one was clearly male. The blond customer's piercing blue eyes bore into Yamamoto's own eyes before moving his gaze onto the still eating 6 year old. After giving a look Yamamoto couldn't quite figure out, the blond haired foreigner turned around and left.

It was only then that he noticed a piece of paper sitting almost right next to him. 'Strange, when did this get here?' Thinking that a customer had left it behind, he picked it up only to find his name on it.

_To Yamamoto Takeshi,_

_It is requested that you and Lambo Bovino present yourselves to the Sawada household to greet an important guest. _

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow after reading the message. A summon? What perfect timing. Maybe he could take this chance to return the rings. Maybe even arrange Lambo's living conditions.

With that thought, the young swordsman picked up the empty plate that sat before Lambo and put it into the sink. With a cheery smile, he hoisted the child onto his shoulders. "How 'bout we go visit Maman now?"

* * *

Taiyo Apartments

Gokudera Hayato was conflicted. He laid on his bed and thought about his life thus far.

For the majority of his life, his goal had been to join the Mafia. But, no one would take an oriental half-breed like him. Even after he had studied under Shamal and earned the name Hurricane Bomb Hayato, only small time Families that were just starting out wanted him.

But, he knew he could do better. No, he needed to do better for his mother. For revenge. Revenge on his father for letting his Family kill his mother. Revenge for lying to him all this time. Revenge for belittling him and proclaiming that he would never amount to anything. To do that he needed to be stronger, smarter, and most of all, belong to a top notch Familiy. One that could beat his father's Familgia with their eyes closed.

That was why he literally jumped at the chance to become part of the Vongola when Reborn approached him with the offer. All he had to do was test out the Vongola Decimo candidate. A few well place words here and there, and he would be well on his way to having a prominent position.

When he first saw the candidate, the only thought that ran through his mind was 'weak!' How in the world had that stuttering mess manage to become the Decimo candidate? But, the boy had managed to defeat him in battle, even if it was with the help of the special Vongola bullets. And so, according to rules, Gokudera had vowed to serve the Vongola Decimo and become his right hand man.

Nothing else mattered. In a few months, it would be official. He would be the Vongola Storm Guardian and one step closer to achieving his goals.

He had gotten used to working with the kind hearted Tsuna. So much so that when he saw that bloody scene, his brain failed to comprehend. To walk the path of the Mafioso was to walk the path of death. He knew that. But, he thought that someone like Tsuna would be able to change that. Change it so that the thing that happened to his mother wouldn't happen to anyone else.

The silver haired teen frowned as he remembered his actions. If only he could go back in time and change some things. He shouldn't have left Tsuna alone. He should've reigned in his disapointment and done what a good right hand man should've done. That might come to hurt him in the future.

The teen got up and shanged his clothes. Prehaps an apology would make things better?

Tsuna was a good friend and all. Gokudera hadn't even had to put up an act. He would prefer to be in a Family that the brown haired boy led. But, Vongola was the strongest and so as long as he remained the Vongola Decimo, Gokudera would remain at his side. But, his goals would always come first.

Up on the rooftops, a black haired red eye boy was watching the sivler haired teen. He gave a disapointed sigh when he realized that all the planning he did to make Gokudera Hayato go to the Sawada household had gone to waste. But if the teen was willing to go there himself, then that was for the better.

* * *

Nanimori High School Boxing Clubroom

Sasagawa Ryohei jabbed his left fist out before finishing with a right punch. The sandbag never stood a chance as it flew back. Just as it was coming back down, the teen pulled his right hand back and threw another straight punch with all his might. His fist punctured the bag instead of pushing it back, causing the sand inside to fall out.

The boxer exhaled and pulled his fist out. Just as he was about to remove the now unusable sandbag, he heard someone clapping behind him. He turned to find a girl about his age with the reddest hair he had ever seen. Rhoyei grinned a fierce grin at the fact that someone was interested in his beloved sport, though if anyone who knew him well saw him, they would notice that his grin didn't have it's usual intensity.

"I'm EXTREMELY happy that you like'd that. How about you join the Boxing Club? Anyone is EXTREMELY welcome!" the boy shouted.

The red haired girl twitched at the sudden loudness. "Sorry, but I don't wanna. I've got better things to do. I only came in here cuz I was curious about the noise."

"Why not? Boxing is an EXTREMELY fun thing to do!" Ryohei shouted with confusion. What could be better than Boxing?

The girl smirked, "Then how about we play a game? If you win, I'll join the club. But if I win, then you'll have to do any one thing I say without complaint."

The boxer lighted up with childish glee. He was a kid at heart and all kids loved games. To top it off, he was getting a chance to share the love of his sport with someone else! "You're EXTREMELY on! Let's do this!"

The red head explained the game rules to the simple headed boxer who never knew that the odds were stacked against him from the beginning. How he ended up at the Sawada household, well I'll just leave that to your imagination.

* * *

Nanimori Park

Hibari Kyoya spun around and brought his prized tonfas out, blocking the attack of a thug who dared to loiter the streets of his beloved Nanimori. This fight wasn't enjoyable, not even a tiny bit. But that wasn't something unusual. Fights hadn't been enjoyable in a long time. The only time that they were even remotely interesting was when he was with _that_ herbiv-, no omnivore.

Hibari frowned. Omnivore indeed. His outer appearance and demeanor screamed herbivore. But occasionally, something would chnage and that herbivore would turn into a carnivore. Truly a wolf in sheep's clothing. But a true carnivore would never hide itself, so he was stuck as an omnivore at best.

He had been avoiding the omnivore though. But he realized that if anything, the boy was persistant. Hibari didn't know what to make of the situation so far. He had never really cared much about death. He never killed, of course. All his victims were left alive after he taught them their lessons. Whether they remained alive after he left didn't matter to him. So, he had mixed feelings about what had happened.

The skylark mentally shrugged. As long as the omnivore continued to bring him good fights, he supposed that he could stay a Guardian. If not, then well he would just bite them all to death and move on.

He watched as a herbivore that he recognized from Nanimori Middle School slowly walk up to him. This particular herbivore was nothing special. He didn't stand out in either a good or bad way. Such an unremarkable person clearly did not deserve any attention.

Then, just as the herbivore was about to pass him, Hibari noticed the teen do something no one in Nanimori would ever dare to do. The herbivore sneered at him. Sneered at Him! Can someone say dead man walking?

"I'll bite you to death, herbivore!" Hibari snarled before aiming a well placed tonfa to the other teen's head. With surprising speed, the suicidal teen ducked and shot Hibari a smug smirk as if taunting the disciplinary committee head before dashing off towards the residential district.

Hibari gave chase, never once noticing that the very direction he was heading to also housed the brown haired omnivore that he was just thinking about. Too focused on the chase was he, that he didn't even remember that this particular black haired soon to be dead herbivore happened to be the same herbovire that used to hang out with Tsuna in elementary school: a person who, suspicioulsy, barely even spared the omnivore a glance in middle school.

* * *

Kokuyoland

Rokudo Mukuro sighed as he felt a disturbance in the force... he really shouldn't have let Chrome talk him into watching that Star Wars marathon. All six movies. But, it did give him some ideas to incorporate into his illusions.

But, the point was, that someone was using a powerful illusion in his domain. Kokuyo was his! From the abandoned theme park to the middle school. It was all his! For someone to dare to do anything, much less use an illusion, was unforgivable.

Mukuro closed his eyes to filter out all the extra annoyances in the environment and concentrated, trying to pinpoint exactly where the power was being emitted from. It didn't take long for him to find the source.

"Kufufufufufu" Mukuro laughed out as stood up. He stuck out his right had and a distortion in the air started to form. Out of nowhere, a trident appeared. He grasped it with his hand and twirled it with ease. "I think I'll go teach someone some manners." he said with sadistic glee.

As the illusionist approached the spot where his target was, he felt the foreign illusion drop. Clearly, the target had sensed him and was trying to run away. With a smirk, Mukuro gave chase without missing a beat. "Kufufufufuf...You think you can outrun me? I've got a taste of your power now, so no matter where you go or how fast you run, I'll catch you!"

So, the Vongola Mist Guardian ran, never noticing that he was steadily making his way out of Kokuyo and into Nanimori, to a certain brown haired teen's house.

* * *

Sawada House

Tsuna didn't how they did it, and he didn't care. All that mattered was that his friends had somehow pulled through and completed his request.

Okay, maybe he should have cared a little since some of the Vongola Guardians were looking a little flustered and confused. But, oh well. Tsuna plastered on a smile as he led Frederico into his house. "Welcome to my house, Frederico-san. I hope you enjoy your stay here. How about I introduce you to my Guardians?"

Frederico, for his part, looked surprised. He hadn't thought the boy's Guardians would actually show up. But, the man could literally feel the tension in the air. There was definitely some unresolved issue here. Perhaps its a good thing that they're here. It'll make it easier for him to turn them to his side.


End file.
